


Kurome ga Kill!

by DarkTsubaki



Category: Akame ga Kill! (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:28:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 33
Words: 54,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24570016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkTsubaki/pseuds/DarkTsubaki
Summary: Akame ga Kill! is a story about many things. A country at war, a conflict between ideologies, a boy fighting fate... And two sisters, one who has chosen her own path and another who had hers chosen for her.But what if each one of those sisters had walked the path of the other? What if Kurome was the one who betrayed the Empire, and Akame was the one who remained with it? How would such a drastic change of events would affect the rest of the world - and in the end, would it make a difference?
Relationships: Akame/Kurome (Akame ga Kill!), Akame/Wave (Akame ga Kill!), Kurome/Tatsumi (Akame ga Kill!), Mine/Sheele (Akame ga Kill!)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 21





	1. Kill the Darkness

When Tatsumi embarked on a journey to the Capital with his two friends in search for wealth and fame, this was not at all what he was looking for.

After splitting up with his friends and arriving alone, his request to join the Imperial army fell on deaf ears, all his money was taken from him by a scoundrel, and he had to spend his first night sleeping in the streets... That is, until a kind-hearted girl named Arya offered him to sleep at her mansion. Just one day after this stroke of luck hit him, however, a group of attackers appeared out of nowhere, standing on thin strings high in the air, seemingly looking for nothing more than the deaths of everyone in the building.

As Tatsumi was watching from a window, three guards were down at the garden, arguing whether they should protect the family or go after the assailants. One of the figures standing on the strings has already spotted them. "There are three guards down there..." He whispered. "They're targets... Kurome."

"Eliminate." Said one of the others.

The three guards look up just in time to see two of the figures descending and landing next to them - one, a tall man in heavy armor; The other, a black-haired little girl looking no older than twelve, holding a katana.

"We can't let our guard down... Not even for a -" One of the guards started. Before he could finish the sentence, the girl was already behind the guards, and one of their throats were slit open. The armored man then impaled a second guard with a large spear that he summoned seemingly out of nowhere.

"Who the hell are those people? Are they even human!?" The remaining guard screamed as he began to run away, only for a bullet to pierce a hole into his skull.

"Running away in the face of an enemy? Pathetic." Said the one who shot him, still standing on a string.

"Who _wouldn't_ run away from us?" Said one of the others.

"They annihilated those trained guards in a second!?" Tatsumi said to himself. "I have to protect Arya!"

Running out the building, Tatsumi quickly found Arya along with another guard running towards a smaller building at the garden. "Arya! I'm here!" He exclaimed.

"Tatsumi!?" Said Arya.

"You came here at just the right moment!" Said the guard. "We're going to hide in that warehouse until more guards come here! You'll have to stay outside and deal with the attackers!"

"What!?" Tatsumi started. "That's crazy!"

Right after he said that, the same katana-wielding girl appeared right behind him.

"Damn it!" Said Tatsumi, drawing his sword. "It's now or never!!"

"You're not a target." The girl said, hopped over his shoulder and landed behind the guard.

"Fuck! She's coming for me!" Said the guard, drawing his submachine gun and opened fire at the assassin... Who simply dodged all his bullets.

"Target acquired. Eliminate!!" The girl said, easily slicing the guard in half, before looking at Arya, who was on the floor with tears in her eyes. "Eliminate!" She said once again.

"I'm not letting you!" Said Tatsumi, attacking her from behind with his sword.

"Move out of the way or I'll kill you." She said, completely calmly.

"I won't stand aside and let you kill Arya!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Then die!" Said the girl.

 _This swordfighter is on a whole other level..._ Tatsumi thought. _There's no way I can beat her... But I'm not letting that stop me! If I can't save one girl, how can I expect to save my village!?_

The black-haired girl dashed at Tatsumi, who blocked the hit and attempted to counter, only for her to jump over his sword and kick his shoulder, before immediately stabbing him in the chest. He gasped and fell down. "Tatsumi!!!" Arya gasped. His attacker slowly began to walk towards him with her sword still pointed at him.

"You're not even going to fall for me playing dead, huh?" Tatsumi grunted as he began to stand up.

"I know I didn't pierce your flesh." She said, still completely calm.

In response, Tatsumi took a broken stone statue out of his shirt. "That was because my village protected me!"

The girl was unfazed. "Eliminate!" She said again, running at him.

"Wait!" Said Tatsumi. "Why do you even want to kill this girl!?"

The girl didn't listen, and was just about to cut Tatsumi in half... Right before she was grabbed from behind by another, grown woman with a very skimpy outfit, blonde hair and cat-like ears and tail.

The black-haired girl was still unfazed. "What're you doing?" She asked in a tired voice.

"We're not in a hurry." Said the blonde. "I owe this lad over there a favor."

It was only then that Tatsumi realized the tall blonde woman looked exactly like the woman who tricked him into giving her his money yesterday, just with longer hair and cat features. "You're that girl with the huge boobs!" He screamed at her.

"That's right, I'm that beautiful big sister!" She said in an awfully cheerful tone, before immediately turning serious. "You think we're trying to kill an innocent little girl?" She said as she walked into the locked warehouse and shattered its door with one kick. "Would you still want to protect her, after you see this?"

The inside of the warehouse was filled with corpses. Corpses of brutally mutilated people, some still strapped into torture devices. "What the hell... Is this...?" Tatsumi muttered.

"They lure miserable people from outside the Capital into their home..." The blonde said. "Then, they torture them to death. This is the true nature of the family owning this household."

Tatsumi barely listened to her. All he could notice was one corpse hanging from the floor, which had no visible injuries, but was completely naked and covered in blood. "Sayo..." Tatsumi whispered. "Hey, Sayo... Are you awake...?"

"So one of them is someone you knew..." Said the blonde. While she did, Arya got up and attempted to run away, only for the blonde to grab her back. "Don't you think you have a chance at running away!"

"The people of this house did this...?" Tatsumi asked.

"Exactly." Said the blonde. "The guards all knew it, but they didn't say a word."

"You're lying!" Arya cried. "I didn't even know this place existed! Don't tell me you're going to take the word of these murderers over the one who saved your life!"

Just then, Tatsumi heard someone weakly scream from inside the cell, and he was screaming his name. "Tatsumi..." He said. "Tatsumi, is that really you...?"

"Ieyasu!?" Tatsumi gasped, seeing his other friend barely alive inside the warehouse.

"This girl invited Sayo and me to sleep at her house..." Ieyasu whispered. "But when we woke up, we were here... This girl tortured Sayo to death!" He cried.

"What the hell is your problem!?" Arya screamed in rage. "You two are just worthless hicks from the countryside. You're no better than cattle! It's my right as a noblewoman to treat you however I want! I couldn't let a girl with such beautiful hair live whereas even I struggle to keep my own hair straight, that's why I made sure she died an agonizing death! She should be grateful that I paid so much attention to her at all!"

"You're all a bunch of sadists that pretend to show kindness to your victims..." The blonde cat-woman growled. "I'm sorry I got in your way, Kurome."

"Eliminate." Was all Kurome said, drawing her sword again.

"Wait." Said Tatsumi quietly.

"After all of this, you still want to protect her?" Asked the blonde.

"No." Said Tatsumi. "I'LL KILL HER MYSELF!" He said, drawing his own sword and cutting Arya in half.

"Thank you, Tatsumi..." Ieyasu whispered. "That was great." He tried to get up, only to cough up blood and drop back down.

Tatsumi ran up to him. "Ieyasu, what's wrong!?"

"He's dying from poison." Said Kurome. "That girl's mother loved to use it to torture people and wrote all about it in her diary. It's too late for him."

"Tatsumi..." Ieyasu whispered. "Sayo... Never gave in to the torture she went through. She was resisting to the very end. It was so cool... And I, the great Ieyasu, want my own death to be just as cool." He said, closing his fist.

"Gotta give it to him, his willpower was impressive." Kurome said.

"What the hell is wrong with these people..." Tatsumi cried.

"Let's get out of here." Said Kurome.

"Say..." Said her blonde friend. "How bout we take this lad with us?"

"Hm?" Asked Kurome.

"Our hideout's always open for new members." Said the blonde. "He looks like he's got luck and guts... And skill as well." She said, grabbing Tatsumi by his shirt.

"Wait a minute! At least let me bury them!" Tatsumi cried out.

"Don't worry, I'm going to bring them to our base." Said the blonde.

Minutes later, Tatsumi and the two assassins met up with the rest of the group. "Finally, you're back." Said the man in armor.

"We should retreat now." Said one of the others, a man with green hair and a coat.

"What were you're doing!? You're late!" Yelled the sniper, a girl with pink hair that looked only two or three years older than Kurome. "And who's this!?" She said, looking at Tatsumi.

"Just a new recruit." Said the blonde.

"WHAT!?" Tatsumi gasped.

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" Said the blonde. "Starting today, you are one of us. Welcome to Night Raid, Tatsumi!"

"I didn't agree to this!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Give it up." Said Kurome. "Leone isn't going to stop once she's started."

"You know me well, buddy..." Said Leone, petting Kurome's head. "Brad!" She said to the armored man. "You take care of him!"

Without a word, the armored man grabbed Tatsumi under his wrist.

"Let me go!" Tatsumi screamed. "I'm not going to become an assassin!"

"You'll get used to it." Said Brad.

"Mission complete. Let's head out!" Said Kurome. The entire group then immediately jumped away, continuing to leap between buildings into the night.


	2. Kill the Country

_"Let's go out there and find success in the Capital!"_

_"Let's earn the wealth we need to save our village from poverty!"_

_"And if we die, we swear we'll die together!"  
_

"To think that we used to tell those things to ourselves..." Tatsumi cried, standing on top of a cliff lush with grass and flowers. "And now... I'm all alone."

The moment he said that, his head fell backwards as it was shoved between Leone's boobs. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?!?" He screamed.

"Can't have you stay sulking forever..." Said Leone, whose appearance seemingly shifted back to what she looked like when Tatsumi first met her. "It's been three days since we took you in. Are ya going to become part of Night Raid or not?"

"I DIDN'T EVEN SAY I WAS -"

"I can tell you have a talent for killing..." Said Leone, poking his nose and patting his head. "Big sister guarantees it ❤︎"

"Talent isn't the problem..." Tatsumi muttered.

"At any rate, I should show you around the hideout!" Said Leone, grabbing him with her elbows again and turning around to see a large building that was sculpted out of a mountain side. "We're in the mountains ten kilometers away from the Capital", she casually explained.

"Why leave it so open? Aren't you assassins for hire!?" Tatsumi yelled.

Entering the building, the two were met with a purple-haired woman wearing a purple cheongsam and a pair of glasses, who was sitting next to a table at the meeting room and reading a book. "So, have you made your decision yet?" She asked.

"Not yet, Sheele." Said Leone. "How bout you give him some encouragement?"

"Well..." Sheele thought for a moment. "The base's location is secret, so... If you don't agree to join us, we're gonna have to kill you."

"What kind and encouraging words..." Tatsumi murmured.

He looked over at the book Sheele was reading - the cover was designed like a children's book and read "100 ways to curb stupidity!"

 _These guys are a bunch of weirdos..._ Tatsumi thought to himself.

"HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!" Tatsumi heard someone screaming and turned around - it was the pink-haired sniper. "LEONE, WHY ARE YOU LETTING HIM INSIDE THE HIDEOUT!?"

"Cause he's one of us?" Said Leone.

"YOU JUST SAID HE ISN'T ONE OF US YET!" The pink-haired girl yelled. "HE DIDN'T EVEN GET THE BOSS' PERMISSION!" She turned over and examined Tatsumi with her eyes for a few seconds. "Not qualified." She said, turning her head. "Just by looking at his face I can tell he's nowhere near our level of proficiency."

"SAYS THE FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD WEARING A DRESS!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Don't worry about Mein... She's like that to everyone." Leone said quietly.

Next, Leone led Tatsumi outside, to what appeared to be a training ground where a heavily muscular man with a pompadour and another man wearing a red mask and a hooded cloak covering his body were swinging wooden rods at one another - the one with a pompadour was sweating profusely, but his partner wasn't sweating at all.

"These are the training grounds... Or as I like to call them, the stress release area." Said Leone. "And these two guys reeking with sweat over there, are Brad and Hantarr."

"They both look extremely skilled and powerful!" Tatsumi said to himself.

The muscular man noticed the two observers and pinned his staff to the ground; His partner did the same. "Hey there, Leone! Oh, and that guy from before is with you!"

"Wait, you know who I am?" Asked Tatsumi.

"Oh right, this must be your first time seeing my face." Said the muscular man. "When we first met I was covered head to toe with armor." He held his hand out. "The name's Brad. Nice to meet you!"

"H... Hi?" Said Tatsumi, shaking Brad's hand. "And you must be..." He turned around to see the other man, only to see he wasn't there.

"Careful there..." Leone whispered. "That one is gay."

"Come on, don't talk like that about me..." Said Brad, blushing. "He might misunderstand it..."

 _Oh my Gods, please tell me she's wrong..._ Tatsumi thought.

Meanwhile, the green-haired man with the coat was out in the forest near some hot springs. "This is where Leone is bathing..." He whispered to himself. "I don't care how long it'll take me, but I swear I'm going to see her breasts!"

"How about I'll break your fingers instead?" Said Leone, appearing right behind him and casually breaking two of his fingers. "When will you learn, Lubbock?"

"Damn you! I can still do this!"

"Then I'll break your arm too." Said Leone, before turning back to Tatsumi standing behind her. "Oh, and this idiot is Lubbock."

"I feel like I had enough already..." Tatsumi grunted.

"Ahahaha..." Leone chuckled. "There's a couple of pretty girls comin' up next, so you should look forward to it~"

Looping back to the base's back yard, the two were met with three people: A man in a white coat and a metal mask covering his mouth, a blonde young woman with a cowboy hat... And in the middle, the same black-haired swordmaster Tatsumi fought, eating candies off a bag she was holding. "These two are Natala and Doya." Said Leone, pointing to the masked man and cowgirl respectively. "And the one eating candies is Kurome, but you already met her."

Hesitantly, Tatsumi tried to approach Kurome, who immediately gave him a cold dead stare and said "You can't have any."

"Kurome may not look like it, but her past's pretty fucked up..." Leone said. "And Natala can't speak, so I think Doya's your safest bet."

"O...Kay? Tatsumi said before looking at the cowgirl. "Uh... Hi?"

"Hoi there, partner!" Said Doya in a distinct foreign accent. "Did ya make your decision yet?"

"Uh... No?" Said Tatsumi.

"Then I'd rather save the welcomes to when you actually earned them." Doya said, turning away from him.

 _Are these people really expecting me to join them without hesitation?_ Tatsumi thought to himself. _One of them literally tried to kill me just days ago!_

Kurome eyed Leone. "Oh, by the way, the Boss is here too."

"Yo." Said someone Tatsumi didn't notice before - a woman with short gray hair, an eyepatch, a black suit and a large mechanical arm.

"Welcome back, Boss!" Said Leone. "Have you brought any souvenirs with you?"

"Didn't you go over your operation time three days ago, Leone?" Said the Boss in a completely calm voice.

"Crap!" Leone whispered and started to run away, only for the Boss to launch her arm as a grappling hook and grab Leone with it.

"Dragging a battle against strong enemies is dangerous, Leone. You have to stop that." Said the Boss as her grappling hook arm was dragging Leone. "By the way, who's this kid?"

"That's right, Boss! I wanted to recommend you on recruiting him!" Said Leone.

"Does he have talent?" Asked the Boss.

"Like hell he does!" Said Leone. "Go ahead and give it a try!"

"YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IT LIKE IT'S A PART TIME JOB!" Tatsumi yelled.

"The wage is pretty damn high..." Said Doya.

"Kurome, get everyone in the meeting room." Said the Boss. "I want to hear all the details about your previous operation... Including everything you know about this young boy."

Minutes later, everyone Tatsumi met was back in the meeting room - except, for some reason, Hantarr.

"I see..." Said the Boss, after hearing the team reciting the details of their mission back at Arya's mansion. "I understand what you're saying. So then, Tatsumi... Are you going to join Night Raid or not?"

"Aren't you going to kill me if I decline?" Asked Tatsumi suspiciously.

"Most likely not." Said the Boss. "But we won't let you leave either. We'll probably send you to one of our workshops to do hard labor... But you wouldn't die. Now that it's settled, what do you think?"

"I..." Tatsumi clenched his fist. "I wanted to become successful in the Capital in order to save my village, which is suffering from poverty and hunger. Now I see even the Capital is rotting."

"The countryside is poor and suffering **because** the center is rotting." Said Brad. "Don't you want to uproot the problem from its source, like a real man?"

"Brad used to be a skilled Imperial soldier." Said the Boss. "He became one of us because he was made aware of the Empire's corruption."

"Our work is to cleanse the Capital of evil." Said Brad. "I find it much better than working for those rotten people."

"But just killing individual evil people wouldn't change the entire nation!" Tatsumi protested. "That'd do nothing to save remote villages from poverty!"

"In that case, Night Raid actually fits you even more." Said the Boss.

"How come?" Asked Tatsumi.

"Far south of the Capital stands a force whose sole purpose is to destroy the Empire..." Said the Boss. "The Revolutionary Army. It started out as a small resistance movement, but has grown into a large-scale military organization. Eventually, they were able to form a small unit made to handle covert jobs such as assassination and information gathering... And that unit is us, Night Raid. Right now we're exterminating the Capital's vermin... But when the Revolutionary Army takes action, we will be the ones to go after the Empire's rulers who are the source of the corruption, and take care of them ourselves."

"Take out the rulers of the Empire?" Tatsumi whispered.

"That's our ultimate goal." Said the Boss. "But we have a long way before we get there. I can't say anything for certain yet, but we have a master plan to ensure our victory. And when the time comes, this country will change for sure."

"And that new country will treat its people well?" Asked Tatsumi.

"That's the idea." Said the Boss.

"So the killing you're doing right now is targeting the trash of society that is evil people..." Said Tatsumi. "You can really say you're assassins of justice!"

For a few seconds, no one said anything... And then, everyone started laughing. "What are you doing? What's so funny!?" Tatsumi screamed.

"Tatsumi..." Leone whispered. "No matter what you call it, what we're doing is murder."

"The purpose doesn't matter. This isn't justice." Said Sheele.

"Any one of us could be killed at any moment for our actions." Said Brad.

"Each person here has their own reasons, but we are all prepared for it." Said the Boss. "Is your opinion still the same?"

"Will I be rewarded in the end?" Tatsumi asked quietly.

"Of course." Said Najenda. "If you play your part properly, we'll be able to save your hometown."

"Then I'll do it!" Said Tatsumi. "I'll join Night Raid! If this is your goal, then I'm sure Sayo and Ieyasu would've done the same!"

"You may not be able to actually return to your village though..." Said Mein.

"As long as everyone there will be able to live in peace because of it, then it doesn't matter." Tatsumi said decisively.

"Then it's decided!" Said Najenda. "Welcome to a path of perpetual carnage, Tatsumi!"

Suddenly, a device Lubbock was wearing on the back of his hand started stirring. "Najenda! We have intruders!" He said.

"Where and how many?" Asked the Boss.

"Based on the reaction from my barrier, there's probably eight of them!" Said Lubbock. "And they're all running closer to the hideout!"

"They're probably mercenaries sent to track us down specifically." Said Najenda. "There's no other way. Don't let a single one of them get out of here alive!"

"Let's go!" Said Mein, taking out her gun and running out of the base.

"Uh... Hehe..." Tatsumi laughed nervously.

"Spacing out already?" Asked Najenda. "This is your first mission. Go out and eliminate them!"

Tatsumi was running fast in the forest outside Night Raid's base. Noticing Brad ahead, he tried to catch up with him. "Hey, Brad!" He yelled out.

"Oh, Tatsumi! You're gonna come with me?" Asked Brad.

"Yeah!" Said Tatsumi.

"In that case, just call me handsome, or bro!" Said Brad.

"Alright, bro!" Said Tatsumi.

"Let me show you something cool in return." Said Brad. "Stand back!"

Tatsumi moved away from Brad, who then slammed his open hand to the ground and screamed "INCURSIO!"

Once he did, Brad's sword opened up and expanded, changing shape and covering Brad's body, before forming into the armor he was wearing when Tatsumi first met him. "THAT'S AWESOME!!" Tatsumi exclaimed.

"I know, right??" Said Brad. "This is my Teigu, Incursio."

"I have no idea what that means, but it sounds amazing!" Said Tatsumi.

"Alright!" Said Brad. "Now I'm going to tell you what your first job is! Listen closely - It's very important!"

In another part of the forest, three dark-skinned bandits were surrounding Kurome. "The fact that she's here means their hideout really is somewhere nearby." Said one of them. "Coming here was worth it after all!"

"I gotta admit, she looks kind of cute." Said one of the others. "Maybe we could have some fun after we kill her. Be careful not to damage her body too -"

Before the bandit could finish the sentence, Kurome was already behind him and his friends. Two of the bandits had their throats slit open, and the third had a gash in his shoulder. "Staying calm in enemy territory? Big mistake." She said to herself.

"She's too fast!" The last remaining bandit grunted. "At least I could take her down with -" Before he could finish the sentence, a naginata blade impaled him through the chest. Natala walked up behind him and pulled it out.

Somewhere else, another bandit was running away as fast as he could. _The enemy knows we're here!_ The bandit thought. _But now I know where their hideout is...! I'm sure that information by itself could have immense value...!! I'll just run away and tell the Capital that I found their hideout!!_

A large distance away, Mein was aiming her rifle at the running man. "He's very far away..." She muttered. "I can't shoot him down without having to expose myself."

While she was speaking, another bandit jumped up behind Mein with a sword in hand. "I've got you!" He said...

Right before Sheele appeared behind him with a giant pair of scissors and chopped him in half. "Sorry about that..." Sheele murmured.

"Thanks, Sheele." Said Mein. "That's a nice risk. I'm going to reach just fine with it!" She said, firing a beam of energy from her gun which vaporized the bandit who was escaping and burned a trench into the ground between them. "Right on point!" Said Mein. "The more danger I'm in, the more powerful I'll get!"

"That was Mein's Pumpkeen just now..." Said Leone, calmly sitting on a bandit's corpse. "I can't believe she uses such a bothersome weapon. All I need to do is turn into a monster and crush people to death. It's not that hard."

In an underground cave, Lubbock was standing in front of a female bandit who was tied up and hanging from the ceiling by wires coming out of his gloves. "Let me go!" She cried. "Please, I'll do anything!"

"Not gonna happen." Said Lubbock. "I know a man who died because he fell for a woman's charms." Saying that, he fastened the grip of his wires, cutting the woman into pieces. "What a waste of time..." He grunted. "Being in my position is always such a pain."

Meanwhile, Tatsumi was laying down behind a bush, keeping keen eyes on a rabbit that was hopping on the hill. _Listen to your surroundings..._ Brad told him. _If the enemy were to run away, they'd likely get through here. Even just slowing them down will be good enough - just somehow fight back._

"What a total newbie role." Tatsumi grunted. "Is the enemy really going to -"

Before he could finish the sentence, a bandit wearing a tiger mask came out of the woods. "They even stationed someone here, too?" He grunted.

"I can't let you pass!" Said Tatsumi, drawing his sword. _I have to kill someone I have no resentment against..._ He thought. _But if I hesitate here, I'll die._

"You're just a little boy..." Said the bandit. "But I'm not going to hold back on you!" He said, drawing his own sword.

In another part of the forest, Mein was balancing herself over a wooden log. "I wonder if that newbie died already..." She said to herself.

"I don't think that'd be an issue." Said Sheele.

"You don't usually evaluate people that way, Sheele." Said Mein.

"He fought Kurome and survived." Sheele remarked.

"Well, that's true..." Said Mein.

"And after Kurome fought him, she said he has immense potential." Sheele continued. "If he keeps training, he might have enough strength to rival a general..."

Tatsumi was standing over the bandit with the tiger mask, who had a large cut in his chest. "How's that..." He said, panting. "These are the techniques I built up along with my friends who died!"

"Let me go, I beg of you!" The bandit cried. "If I die, my village is going to..."

 _This guy's also fighting for his hometown?_ Tatsumi stepped back.

However, before the bandit could finish his sentence, his head was hit by a bullet and exploded. Doya appeared behind the corpse, blowing the smoke off her gun. "All in a day's work." She said, smiling.

 _She shot that guy without even batting an eye..._ Tatsumi thought, stepping back in fear.

"HIYA!" Said Brad, showing up from between the woods. "The enemy came over here, didn't they? Leave the rest for me!"

"I've already dealt with him, actually." Said Doya.

The night after that, Night Raid once again assembled in their base. "That was great work for your first battle, Tatsumi." Said the Boss. "But as Doya reported, you still have a lot to learn. In order for you to continue to survive, you'll need someone to teach you a few important things. Team up with Kurome and learn from her."

"What!?" Tatsumi gasped.

"Kurome, you copy?" Asked Najenda.

"Yeah." Said Kurome, still munching on her sweets.

"If you think he's gonna get in the way, you can kill him." Said Najenda.

"Okay." Said Kurome, completely calm.

 _Wait, WHAT!?_ Tatsumi thought.

"You're lucky to have someone like Kurome train you." Said the Boss. "Do your best and you won't die!"


	3. Kill the Authority

_That Kurome is insane..._ Tatsumi said to himself, resting on his bed. _She looks like she doesn't understand the difference between sparring and a battle to the death!_

Suddenly, the door was open, revealing Mein, Lubbock, Sheele, Brad and Natala standing outside. "Huh?" He asked. "Are you all going somewhere?"

"Yeah." Said Brad. "We got a new target requested from the Capital."

"Requested?" Tatsumi asked. It took him a moment to remember something the Boss said: _We also take requests from citizens for targets in the Capital. We're going to find something for you; Always be ready to be called upon._

"Please take good care of the place while we're gone." Said Sheele.

"What, me?" Asked Tatsumi.

"Don't worry, Kurome's going to babysit you!" Mein laughed. "We're not going to abandon you all alone in this big scary house!"

 _Why does she feel the need to be so overbearing...?_ Tatsumi thought.

"Laaaaateeer~" Said Mein, leaving the room.

Seconds later, Doya walked in. "I'm still here too, partner! How bout we go out and kill a couple targets of our own?"

"For real?" Asked Tatsumi, mildly excited.

"I'm just talking about hunting some fish for dinner, but you'll find out the hard way that it's not that different!" She said.

Before Tatsumi knew it, he and Doya were climbing up a mountain through a thick forest. Doya didn't look even a little tired. "Uh... It's nice to get away from base sometimes, but I think that might be too much!" Said Tatsumi.

"Don't worry, kid! There's no human living anywhere near those mountains!" Said Doya. "Oh, there we go!"

Looking forward, Tatsumi saw they were on the shore of a hot spring with a small waterfall flowing into it. "Whoa, this is a nice place!" Tatsumi said in awe.

"But don't get your eyes off our target, Tatsumi!" Said Doya. "The forest and the mountains are the only place we can get supplies, so you'll have plenty of time to visit this place again!"

Tatsumi started to say something, but then Doya started to take her shirt off. "WAIT, YOU MEAN NAKED??" He freaked out.

...And then he could see Doya was wearing a bikini underneath her clothes. "I didn't know you've such a dirty mind, boy!" She chuckled. "But that's not it. Being fully clothed in a lake would fuck up your mobility, that's all. Now get down there and catch them extra-sized River Tuna!"

"You can't possibly mean those exceedingly rare and dangerous fish that can bite through iron like -" Tatsumi started, before being interrupted by the sound of a gunshot as Doya fired a single bullet into the lake and _four_ dead River Tuna popped out of the water. Doya then continued to fire a couple more time, with each individual shot causing similar numbers of fish to appear.

"Don't think it would be that easy for you, Tatsumi!" Said Doya. "You ain't got no gun, so you gotta dive down and catch them big fishes with yo own hands!"

Excited, Tatsumi took off his shirt in one swift movement. "BRING IT!!"

"So you only caught two fish??" Leone chuckled as she, Kurome, Tatsumi and the Boss were eating dinner later that day.

"For his first time, that's actually pretty good..." The Boss remarked.

"But didn't you rip out your shirt and scream: Bring it?" Said Leone.

"That's not good at all..." Kurome said to herself.

 _She looks like she doesn't think about me at all..._ Tatsumi thought. _And I can't tell what she's thinking, either..._

"Leone..." Said Najenda. "Tell me about the request you've received a few days ago."

"Our targets are Imperial Police captain Ogra and an oil merchant named Gamal." Said Leone. Here's what the client told me..."

_Gamal's been giving Ogra bribes, so he'd frame and punish someone else every time Gamal committed a crime. My fiance was framed for one of Gamal's crimes and sentenced to death. He heard Ogra talk about it while he was in his jail cell and sent me a letter telling me this before he was executed. Please, somehow, help me clear this regret from my heart..._

"And here's the payment she gave us for our job." Said Leone, dropping a large bag of gold coins on the table.

"How did that random woman get this much money??" Asked Tatsumi.

"She was smelling of venereal disease." Said Leone. "She must've gotten that money from selling her body."

"Did you make sure it was actually true?" Asked Najenda.

"I've been spying at them from the roof of the merchant's shop. They're guilty." Said Leone.

"Alright then..." Said Najenda, igniting a cigarette with a device in her arm. "Night Raid shall accept this request. We will deliver punishment upon these heinous monsters and make an example out of them. Taking out Gamal would be no problem, but Ogra's a formidable opponent, even for us. He is known as Ogra the Demon, because his masterful swordsmanship makes him an object of terror to the criminals of the Capital. He spends most of his time patrolling with his subordinates, or at the garrison headquarters. Gamal gives him bribes at his private room. On his days off he leaves the headquarters and spends the day drinking on main street, near the palace."

"Looks like the best time to attack him would be at his day off then." Said Tatsumi.

"However, the security in main street is tight." Said Najenda. "For a known and wanted criminal like Kurome it would be exceedingly dangerous."

"Should we wait for the rest to come back then?" Asked Kurome.

"We don't know how long it's going to take them to finish their job though, right?" Leone remarked.

"If that case, just send us!" Said Tatsumi, slamming his hand unto the table. "We'll take care of them!!"

"You really think you can kill Ogra yourself?" Najenda said with a smirk.

"Not that I'd have a problem taking him down, but it almost sounded like you _want_ to take him on by yourself..." Said Leone, also smirking.

"The way things stand, you have no chance." Said Kurome.

"There may still be innocent people being framed for crimes they didn't commit while we're here debating this!" Tatsumi shouted. "If that's the case, I'll handle him myself! I know what it's like to see the people you love being taken away from you. I don't want anyone else to experience this!"

"Understood." Said Najenda. "I can't argue with your determination. Go out there and strike the Demon down."

"Well said, Tatsumi!" Said Leone, patting Tatsumi's head. "It's great that you're so dedicated!"

"Kurome, Leone, I'm leaving the oil merchant to you." Said Najenda.

"You got it, Boss!" Said Leone.

"Take this, Kurome!" Said Tatsumi. "I **can** stand up when I really want to!"

"You think that's going to earn you respect?" Said Kurome with a cruel smile. "Your willingness to do it means nothing until you've completed your mission. If arrogance is your only asset, you really will die."

One day after that, Tatsumi and Leone were back in the Capital, watching people walk in and out. "If you go straight that way, it'll lead you right to main street." Said Leone.

"Got it!" Said Tatsumi.

"Do you want to hear a story before you go?" Asked Leone.

"Uh, okay?" Said Tatsumi.

_When Kurome was only a child, her parents sold her and her sister off to the Empire's training program. Both of them went through intense training on how to kill people, where only the best of the best came out alive. Kurome used to be a perfect assassin who worked at the Empire's service without failing once... Until one day, she was sent to assassinate the Boss. She was a terrifying opponent, but ultimately, the Boss managed to defeat her... The only reason she hasn't died was because one of her former comrades who betrayed the Empire has told the Boss about the torture she went through and pleaded for her to be captured alive. Kurome was furious at first, of course... But her former friend was gradually able to convince her to defect from the Empire and join the Revolutionary Army who cared about the people. Aside from that person, almost everyone Kurome grew up and trained with was already dead..._

Tatsumi didn't say anything.

"Do you get what I'm trying to say?" Leone asked him.

"That I'm just an amateur who should shut up and listen to the professional killers?" Tatsumi said.

"Not quite..." Said Leone. "If you're successful today, you'll understand."

"Don't doubt me! I'll definitely succeed!" Said Tatsumi.

"Have fun hunting!" Said Leone.

The oil merchant Gamal was walking down a balcony in his large villa. "Man, I really need to stop eating so much meat..." He murmured to himself. "I feel like it might be giving me indigestion."

"Don't worry, Gamal..." Said a voice behind him. "This was the last bit of meat you'll EVER eat."

Saying this, Leone grabbed him by the neck from behind, and Kurome landed from above in front of the merchant and stabbed him through the heart.

"You should be grateful that such a beauty is the one who killed you!" Said Leone. "Alright then... I wonder how's Tatsumi doing with his tougher target."

"Nothing like a good cup of Sake after a successful interrogation." Said captain Ogra, walking alone through main street. "I'm the king of this city! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and no one will speak up!"

"Master Ogra!" Said a young man's voice from behind the police captain.

"...What?" Asked Ogra. Turning around, he could see a single young man in a hood.

"There's something I have to tell you." Said the young man.

"Spit it out, then!" Ogra grunted.

"It might be a little problematic to talk about it out in the open..." The boy said.

Looking around for a moment, Ogra spotted an empty alleyway and led the boy there. "We can talk about it here..." He said.

 _Sayo... Ieyasu..._ Tatsumi prayed in his mind. _Lend me your strength!_

Then, he immediately knelt down. "Please allow me into the Capital's defense forces, I beg of you!!" He cried out. "I must earn money to save my hometown, sir!!"

"I should've expected this was going to happen..." Ogra grunted. "Just apply through the normal process, dumbass!"

"I did..." Tatsumi whispered, sending a hand to his sword. "And they didn't let me in."

"It's to be expected..." Said Ogra, "If you weren't strong enough to pass the entrance test."

While Ogra was talking, Tatsumi ran past the captain and slashed his sword, leaving a deep cut at Ogra's chest. "I know no fear..." He whispered. "I fight with everything I've got. I didn't think anyone would dare attack me..." Then, the police captain collapsed on the floor bleeding.

"I did it!" Tatsumi rejoiced. "Now, I just need to give my report..."

Then, just in time, he noticed Ogra standing back up and striking Tatsumi with his own sword. Tatsumi was sent flying, but he braked with his feet.

"Did you really think..." He panted. "That I, Ogra the Demon, could be killed by a snot nosed little shit like you?? You're just weak trash. Only the strong matter in this world! I am the one who passes judgement on all! Do you think you could judge me!?!"

"Don't just say whatever you want!" Tatsumi jumped into the air and struck Ogra from above, only for the captain to push him down with his own sword.

"You belong to those fools calling themselves Night Raid, don't you...?" Ogra grunted. "If you know so much about me, someone must've paid you to kill me! It was the bitchy fiance of the guy I executed the other day, was it?? I knew it would've been best to kill her as well... It's not too late to do so either! I'm going to find her... Then, I'll find the rest of her family and arrest them. I'll force her to watch as I execute them one by one...! But first, I'll have to kill YOU!"

The second he said that, both of Ogra's arms were cut off by Tatsumi with a desperate surprise attack with his sword. _You're just like all the others._ He thought. _A man who went mad with power. Trash like you... SHOULD BE CUT TO PIECES!!!_

Before Ogra could react, Tatsumi was already behind him, and his upper torso was sliced up with Tatsumi's blade.

"Good job dealing with that target!" Said Najenda as Tatsumi went back to base that night.

"Not bad, eh, Kurome?" Tatsumi said, flexing his muscle. "I've finished my mission and reported it back - and I did it without even getting hurt! Now you'll **have** to acknowledge-"

Before Tatsumi could continue, Kurome walked up to him and pulled up his shirt. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!!?" He screamed.

"Natala! Doya! Hold him!" Said Kurome. Without a word, both of them ran up to Tatsumi and stripped him down to his underwear.

"What the hell's going on???" Tatsumi cried. "Are you really trying to -"

"Thank goodness." Said Kurome, smiling. "I've seen people who refused to report they were wounded to look tough, and died because their wounds were contaminated. But you really are uninjured... The first mission is always the one with the highest mortality rate. You were splendid."

"Even Kurome was hoping you'll live..." Said Leone. "I bet she would've been lonely if you had died."

"Learning to always keep your guard keeps you alive." Said Najenda. "Hunting for food teaches you how to kill. Everything you've been doing was beneficial to you."

"...Really?" Tatsumi asked. "I really misunderstood you, Kurome. I'm sorry."

"It's alright..." Said Kurome. "Just keep this up and stay alive."

"Sure I will." Said Tatsumi. "Please keep having my back, Kurome!"

"Saying this while you're almost naked is real ironic..." Leone chuckled.

"YOU WERE THE ONES WHO STRIPPED ME!!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Okay." Said Najenda. "Mein's going to train you next. Do your best!"

"Huh?" Tatsumi asked, still in the process of putting his clothes back on.

"I bet this is going to end up the same way..." Leone whispered.

"I HAVE TO WORK WITH **HER**???" Tatsumi screamed.

Mein, who was still outside, looked back at the base. "For some reason I just got goosebumps..."


	4. Kill the Concerns

"Finally, we're back at the Capital." Said Tatsumi. "When you look at it up close, a lot of people have a sour look on their faces..."

"They live under a tyrannical regime and an economic crisis. Of course they'd be sour." Said Mein.

"Are you sure this is okay for us to be walking around in broad daylight?" Asked Tatsumi.

"The only ones whose faces are publically known are these five", said Mein, pointed at various wanted posters at a nearby wall.

On them were the Boss, Kurome, Sheele, Natala, and a fifth man Tatsumi didn't recognize. "Eh... Who's that guy?" He asked.

"That's Brad." Said Mein.

"REALLY??" Tatsumi gasped.

"He looked very different before he joined Night Raid." Mein explained.

"That looks a little **too** different..." Tatsumi muttered.

"Now that that's cleared, we still have a mission to complete..." Said Mein.

"So that's why you brought me along..." Said Tatsumi. "Bring it on!"

"Great!" Mein cheered. "Let's start to inspect the city's condition!"

"I don't know what that means, but okay!!" Said Tatsumi.

A few hours later, Mein and Tatsumi were sitting at a café and eating dinner. "We sure did do a lot of shopping..." Tatsumi panted.

"As I expected - pink clothes are the trend in spring." Said Mein.

"Guess so..." Tatsumi grunted. "It sure is nice to let your hair down at your days off, isn't it..."

"Alright then!" Said Mein. "Mission complete!"

"THIS WASN'T A MISSION!" Tatsumi shouted. "IT'S JUST SHOPPING!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Said Mein, slapping him. "Subordinates aren't supposed to talk back! I'm above you and you're below me! Don't forget that! You should be thankful that I even let you carry my bags!"

"I'm not your subordinate, you're just training me!" Tatsumi yelled.

"Don't underestimate my power when I'm in charge, newbie!" Said Mein, taking out a paper and drawing a roulette with various titles written on it. "I could even banish you to a random manga with this roulette wheel if I wanted to!"

"WHAAAAAT!?" Tatsumi gasped.

"Even your beloved _Hatsukiai_ is on it." Said Mein, pointed at a thin space reading "Hatsukiai" in between two much wider spaces with blood markings on them that both read "Corpse Party".

"But I'm too scared of what happens if I miss it!" Tatsumi cried. "Can't you make that one a little wider?!"

The two assassins' fun game was interrupted by a large crowd gathering outside the resturant. "What's all this commotion...?" Tatsumi asked.

"Probably a public execution of someone who defiled the Empire." Mein said in a bitter voice. "That sort of thing happens all the time."

Looking up, the two could see various men and women with dismembered limbs and nailed to crosses in a town square. "That's so cruel..." Tatsumi muttered.

"It's the Prime Minister who's responsible for this..." Said Mein. "It was thanks to his shrewdness that the current young Emperor has one the battle of succession. I **won't** end up like those people... I swear I'm going to live on and see this war to its end!!"

 _So it's the Prime Minister who's responsible...?_ Tatsumi thought. _What kind of monster could he be?_

"Internal affairs officer Shoui..." Said the Emperor - a seven year old child in an ornate robe, sitting on his throne. "Thou hath objected our political affairs. For the crime of delaying urgent political measures, we sentence thee to death by dismemberment by bulls!"

Everyone in the room looked terrified staring at the young child, but none dared say a word.

"You'd allow that, right, Minister...?" Said the Emperor to a fat old man who was standing next to his throne and munching on some meat. "Nyoo hoo hoo..." He murmured. "Well done... Emperor Makoto is such a wise ruler."

The young Emperor gave his minister an angry look. "Again with the meat? Thou eatest far too much of it."

"Fufufu... One ought to to enjoy life while it's still good." The Minister said quietly.

"Enough of this!" The defendant cried out. "The Emperor is being fooled by the Prime Minister!! Please, listen to the voices of your people!!!"

"He's accusing you." The Emperor said.

"Have his rumblings confused you, my lord?" the Minister said in an assuring tone.

"Of course not..." Said the Emperor. "For the words thou hast spoken have never once failed me."

"Shoui, my friend..." Said the Minister. "Seems like this would be our final parting."

"YOUR MAJESTY!" Shoui cried out as two guards were holding him. "IF THIS COUNTINUES, THE THOUSAND YEAR REIGN OF YOUR EMPIRE WOULD COME TO AN END!!!"

Before the Emperor could say anything, the Minister walked in front of the defendant. "Shoui... Please don't worry about that lovely wife you're leaving behind. I'll make sure to take good care of her... Every single part of her."

 _How... How can anyone allow something like this to continue!?!?_ Shoui thought. _Those sins must be punished. Someone... Anyone... Please!!! Deliver justice upon these demons!!_

"There's a new request, everyone!" Said the Boss. "The target this time is a man named Eiokal, a blood relative of the Prime Minister. Using his kin's name, he abducts women from the Capital and beats them to death with the help of his five guards. This is a mission of utmost importance - I'm sending everyone!!"

Tatsumi and Mein were both sitting upon the branches of a large tree, watching over a mansion in the distance. "So Eiokal lives in this mansion...?" Said Tatsumi. "The security seems top-notch!"

"I won't be able to hit him from this far away..." Mein whispered. "I'm gonna have to wait until he comes out of the compound to land the hit."

"And after that it's my turn, right?" Asked Tatsumi. "You can leave it to me!"

"Hmph... Don't get your hopes up." Mein scoffed, before taking out Pumpkeen and aiming it at the mansion.

 _She has incredible concentration..._ Tatsumi thought. _I can feel her stance radiating with willpower!_

"He's out." Mein said casually.

"Huh? Where?" Asked Tatsumi. Taking out a binocular, he looked in the distance to see Eiokal exiting the mansion alongside a group of escort girls.

"He's surrounded by people who aren't targets, you can't attack right now!!" Tatsumi shouted.

"So what?" Said Mein in a bored voice. "That doesn't matter one bit."

"No way!" Said Tatsumi, getting a hand to his sword. "Don't tell me you're going to kill those innocent bystanders...!"

Instead of answering, Mein simply pulled the trigger and shot a tiny bullet that flew in a straight line and punctured Eiokal's forehead directly without hitting anyone else.

"Didn't I tell you I'm a genius sniper?" Said Mein, smirking.

Down below, Eiokal's escort girls began to run away and scream - at the same time, four guards ran into the forest in the direction where the bullet was fired. "Catch the assassins no matter what it takes!" One of them shouted. "If we allow them to escape, the Prime Minister's going to kill us!"

"They shouldn't have gotten far -" said another, right before seeing the entire Night Raid group apart from Mein and Tatsumi standing in front of them. "Well well, what do we have here..." Said Leone with a sadistic smile. "Now then. Let's get wild!"

"Oh, jizz..." Mein grunted, slowly stumbling over thick roots covering the ground. "It's really hard to walk around in those woods."

"You think our pursuers were all taken out already?" Asked Tatsumi.

"The bodyguards were all trained in the Imperial Fist temple..." Said Mein. "The best martial arts dojo in the Empire. They may not be taken down so easily. The more connections someone has with the higher-ups in the Empire, the higher grade their guards are. Using a relative's name as an excuse to do as he pleases is the kind of thing that I hate the most."

 _Did something like that happened to her before...?_ Tatsumi wondered.

"Okay then." Said Mein. "As a special service, I'm going to tell you a story about my past."

"I didn't even ask..." Said Tatsumi.

"I was born and raised at the West regions of the Empire." Said Mein, ignoring him. "And my family was foreign. I was ridiculed for it my whole life, nobody accepted me. Because of this, my childhood was nothing but misery. But you know, the Revolutionary Army's formed an alliance with the people of the West... If we could build a new country, then diplomatic relations could grow. The people of the Empire could mingle with other races, and there would be no more kids who'd suffer like I did. I won't let this kind of discrimination ever happen again!"

"Mein..." Tatsumi started.

"And as someone with a key role in the revolution, I'll be hailed as a hero and become rich and famous!!" Mein laughed.

"Ahah..." Leone laughed. "I feel so calm and refreshed!❤"

"Those guys were pretty damn strong..." Sighed Sheele.

"Something's wrong." Said Hantarr, who was seemingly missing up until that mission started. "The Boss said there were five guards."

"And I didn't even get to kill any of them!" Lubbock whined.

"There just weren't enough." Said Leone. "And that means half your reward goes away!"

Kurome looked up into the tree Tatsumi and Mein stood on and said nothing.

In another part of the forest, Eiokal's escort girls were running away in a different direction, having left before the guards came out of the mansion. Suddenly, one of them was hit by a kunai to the forehead, and the rest froze in fear as two figures - a bald man in a white suit and a giant monstrous gorilla - appeared before them. "Trying to escape?" The hooded man whispered. "We cannot allow that."

"This is the meeting place." Said Mein, as she and Tatsumi reached a clearing in the forest with one giant tree in its center. "That must mean the mission's finished!"

"It's not finished until we give our report!" Tatsumi reminded Mein, who smiled a little. "That's what Kurome sai- WATCH OUT!!"

Saying that last part, Tatsumi tackled Mein out of the way before getting hit with a powerful punch that sent him flying.

"This guy..." Mein grunted, looking at the tall blonde man who just hit her comrade. "He must be the head guard of the mansion. He's as strong as I expected."

"I've been head guard in this mansion for ten years!" Said the guard. "My skills surely have doubled."

"Full of yourself, aren't you...?" Said Mein. "Let's take you down a peg!!!" She said, firing several bullets at the guard, who simply dodged. "No way..." She gasped.

"Time to purge evil!" Said the head guard. "I'll take you to the Minister alive. I hope you're prepared!"

"Don't joke!" Said Mein, her gun still up. While they were talking, Tatsumi jumped at the guard from behind and attacked him with the sword, but the head guard simply caught it between his hands and then punched him. In response, Tatsumi tackled the head guard and restrained him.

"You little..." The guard grunted.

"MEIN, NOW!!!" Tatsumi shouted.

"Tatsumi... You're sacrificing yourself to save me?" Mein said backing away.

"NO I'M NOT!!" Said Tatsumi. "I thought you were a genius sniper? I trust that you can take him down without hitting me!!"

"LET ME GO ALREADY!!" The head guard screamed, struggling against Tatsumi's hold.

"You're a cocky newbie..." Said Mein. "But I'll do what you want!" She said, firing her gun again and piercing a hole in the head guard's chest.

"You fools..." The dying guard grunted. "You just killed a blood relative of the Minister. Don't think this is over just yet...!" He said before collapsing.

"Seems like you do have a bit of courage..." Said Mein. "I have to admit, you managed to impress me a li-"

Before she could finish, Tatsumi slapped her, pointing at the burned section of hair at the top of his head. "YOU ALMOST FRIED MY FACE TO A CRISP THERE!!!"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?? I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT HOW I'M FINALLY ACCEPTING YOU!!!" Mein yelled back.

On the other side of the hill, Leone was watching them and laughing.

"We have to find master Ogra's murderer, no matter what!" Said a muscular Imperial guard as he and his partner were patrolling the Capital's streets at night.

At the edge of the alley they were running around, a tall man in a long coat was looking at a wanted poster depicting Kurome's face. "An assassin and a Teigu user..." He whispered. "Yes, you're the same as me. This makes me happy... Can I go all out here?"

"Hey, you over there!" Said one of the guards, aiming his gun at the stranger. "You look suspicious. Don't move from where you are!"

A split second later, both he and his partner had their heads severed by the stranger's blade. "It seems like the Capital is a perfect place to live in..." He whispered. "No matter how much I kill, there's always more."


	5. Kill the Slasher

"Please... Please don't kill me!" A woman cried out as a tall man was holding her by the neck over two corpses.

"Come on now..." Said the tall man. "That's what you get for being out so late at night. Didn't your parents tell you about all the scary monsters that come out after dark?"

"Let me go, I'll do anything!!" The woman begged.

"So you'll do anything I'll tell you?" The man asked curiously.

"Yes, I will! Just please, don't kill me!" His victim cried.

"In that case... I want you to tell me what it's like to have your head severed from your body." Said the man. Not waiting for an answer, he swung a blade mounted on his arm and decapitated her. "This is so exciting..." He cried. "I just can't stop doing this!"

"Our new target is a serial killer who's been plaguing the Capital." Said Najenda. "He appears late at night, preys on people and chops off their heads. The exact number of his victim is unknown, but it's numbering in the dozens."

"And at least three of them are members of the Imperial police..." Said Tatsumi. "That person's gotta be very powerful if he pulled that off."

"There's no mistake then." Said Lubbock. "That man has to be Zank the Beheader."

"Who?" Asked Tatsumi, confused.

"You don't know?" Said Mein. "You're a country bumpkin, so I guess that's to be expected."

"Pardon me, but I don't know either..." Said Sheele.

"I'm pretty sure you just forgot." Said Mein.

"Then tell me who that monster is." Said Tatsumi.

"Zank the Beheader..." Mein explained. "He used to be the chief executioner in the Empire's largest prison. Because of the Prime Minister, he had to execute many people every day, again and again. They pleaded for their lives before he took their heads... He did this for years, and it seemingly became like a habit for him."

"No wonder he lost a few screws with that kind of job..." Said Tatsumi.

"Eventually, he decided that executing prisoners wasn't enough for him and betrayed the Empire to become a serial killer." Said Mein.

"He vanished right around the time a detainment force was sent to kill him..." Said Brad. "Who would think he'd be in the Capital?"

"He's a horrible murderer!" Tatsumi concluded. "We gotta find him and beat his ass!"

Brad sighed. "Hold your horses, Tatsumi."

"Bro?" Tatsumi asked.

"Zank stole the warden's Teigu before he left." Brad explained. "That's how he became so powerful. Running into him on your own would be extremely dangerous."

Tatsumi stepped back noticing that Brad was getting close to him and holding his chin. _I think I might be in another kind of danger right now..._

Later that night, Tatsumi and Kurome were back at the Capital's streets. "Our search area is down this way." Said Kurome.

"Huh." Said Tatsumi. "Looks like the people of the Capital are too scared of the serial killer to move out at night anymore. They don't know how easy it would be to -"

Before Tatsumi could continue, Kurome shut his mouth with her hand and pulled him behind a building. "The Capital's city guards are showing up..." She whispered. "We need to be careful."

"Can I ask you something before we start searching?" Asked Tatsumi.

"No, you can't have my snacks." Said Kurome almost on reflex.

"That's not what I wanted to ask..." Said Tatsumi. "I just wanted to know what a Teigu is."

"Things like this one." Said Kurome, showing Tatsumi her sword.

"I don't get it." Said Tatsumi.

Kurome looked both sides and then sat down. "They say that about 1,000 years ago, right after the great Empire was created, the First Emperor was worried. He wished to protect the country he worked so hard to build, but he knew even he would die some day. But weapons and armors could be passed down throughout the generations. So, to insure that his country lasts forever, he decided to concentrate all of the Empire's knowledge and create weapons that will perserve it. Legends say they gathered materials from the most dangerous monsters and the rarest metals, and gathered the greatest mages and scientists from all over the Empire. With his power and fortune, the First Emperor created a series of 48 magical weapons known as Teigu, each and every one of them powerful beyond belief, and capable of taking down great armies on its own. It was said that the Emperor's retainers who were given those Teigu have expanded the Empire's reach and power even more than before."

"So you're saying that every member of Night Raid has one of these legendary weapons?" Asked Tatsumi.

"Not everyone." Said Kurome. "I, Brad, Mein, Leone, Sheele and Lubbock are the only ones. But just as people possess secret skills, so do Teigu... Incursio, for instance, has the ability to blend into its surroundings and become invisible. With such powerful abilities that those Teigu have, there's been an unwritten rule: If two Teigu users clash with the intent to kill, one of them is sure to die without fail."

"Speaking of which..." Said Tatsumi. "If you don't mind me asking... What's your Teigu?"

"I was waiting for you to ask." Said Kurome. "The sword I hold in my hand is the March of the Dead, Yatsufusa. It has the power to bring the corpses of the dead back to life. Natala, Doya, and Hantarr are all dead people that I revived with its power. The dead fall under my control and become my puppets, but as you've seen with Doya, their personality remains the same."

Tatsumi's eyes widened. "Does that mean..."

"Yes." Said Kurome, already knowing what he wanted to ask. "Yatsufusa works by creating magical black electricity that powers its puppets in place of their soul which was destroyed. Because of that, I need to consciously maintain my puppets, which gets progressively harder the more of them I have at my disposal. As of now, I have eight puppets in total, which is my current limit. But once I lose two of my puppets, or become strong enough to handle two more of them, then I'll use Yatsufusa to resurrect your two friends. That's a promise."

 _This girl is much younger than me, and yet..._ Tatsumi didn't move. _Kurome... What kind of horrible things have you been through all that time..._

"Heheheh..." Zank laughed, watching the two assassins from a tower in the distance. "Looks like I'm not the only serial killer in town anymore. My my, what a dangerous city this is... Alright then. Whose neck should I come for first? I got it... I'll start with the most delicious one."

Tatsumi was sitting on a bench, jealously watching Kurome munching her candies while his own stomach was empty. "I don't think he's going to show up..." He muttered. "Either way, we've no choice but to wait patiently."

Kurome said nothing.

"Excuse me for a second..." Said Tatsumi, getting up and walking away. Looking both ways, he broke into a closed bakery, took a small sack, filled it with cookies and left. "I'm kind of on edge tonight..."

Suddenly, he heard a footstep and turned around looking at the last person he thought he'd see there.

"...Sayo?" Tatsumi asked in a trembling voice.

In response, Sayo covered her mouth and ran.

"No, wait!!" Tatsumi shouted as he ran after his friend whom he thought was dead.

Seconds later, Kurome walked up behind the bakery. "I didn't know you were that desperate." She chuckled, before noticing he was gone.

Tatsumi, meanwhile, was running after Sayo across the city until she stopped at a town square not far from where he started.

"It's really you..." Tatsumi said, panting. "What's going on? How are you alive?"

Sayo simply smirked.

"It doesn't matter anymore..." Said Tatsumi, hugging his friend and closing his eyes. "I'm just glad you're alive..."

Suddenly, Tatsumi heard a grown man voice towering above him. "Looks like I showed you something nice..." He said. "How passionate."

Tatsumi opened his eyes. In place of his friend, he was now standing in front of a tall and muscular man in a long coat and with an eye-shaped jewel on his forehead. "Hello!" He said.

"AHHHHH!" Tatsumi screamed. "SAYO'S ACTUALLY A STINKY OLD MAN!!"

The old man laughed. "I'd prefer if instead of calling my an old man, you'll use my friendly nickname... Zank the Beheader."

"You're..." Tatsumi growled, unsheathing his sword.

"You've been separated from your partner..." Said Zank. "You just have to stall me until they appear... But will you be able to stay alive for long enough for this to happen? That's what you're thinking."

 _He can read my mind!?_ Tatsumi thought. _Is this eye thing his Teigu?_

"BINGO!" Zank laughed. "That's my Teigu, Spectator! One of its five abilities is _Insight_. By merely observing your facial expressions, body language and the like, I can guess what you're thinking... My observations are always the most accurate."

"You sure like to talk..." Said Tatsumi.

"Talking is just another one of my hobbies..." Said Zank. "And by the way, I used my power of _Farsight_ to find you. Whether it's foggy or completely dark, I can see clear as day for miles on end!"

While Zank was talking, Tatsumi swung his sword to strike Zank, but he simply dodged.

"You tried to attack me while I was talking??" Zank laughed. "That's completely useless! I can see everything going on in your head! Now you're going to run at me again and slash at me from above, and then use an upswing to my midsection, but that's a feint to get me to expose my windpipe!" Zank was saying this while Tatsumi was attacking him, and could correctly guess every attack before cutting Tatsumi's stomach while he was going for his windpipe. "That's what you were thinking, wasn't it...?"

"You're so strong..." Tatsumi fell to his knees. "You're on a whole other level than anyone I've ever fought...!!"

"That look on the face on the head I'm about to take... It's just irresistible!" Zank laughed. "Most people just have a blank look of surprise on their face. I wonder what kind of expression will YOU show me? Hahaha!!"

"My neck isn't so weak that you can cut it off!" Tatsumi shouted as he got back up.

"Looks like it can't be helped..." Said Kurome, holding unto her sword. "I'm going to have to scatter."


	6. Kill the Teigu Users

"The young ones are always so upfront and honest..." Zank laughed as he was clashing swords with Tatsumi, who was covered in wounds while Zank didn't have a drop of blood on him. "I like you, kid! I think I'll keep your head as a trophy!"

Tatsumi didn't have the strength to reply. He simply held his arm in pain and panted.

"I think I hurt you just about enough..." Said Zank. "I love seeing someone with that look on their face while they beg for their life, so I was careful not to damage you _too_ much... Now go ahead and beg for your life! Who knows, maybe you'll even be able to buy enough time for your friend to show up!"

For a second, Tatsumi said nothing. Then, he said: "...You've gotta be fucking kidding me. YOU REALLY THINK I'D GET ON MY KNEES AND BEG FOR A RAT WHO KILLS PEOPLE FOR FUN TO SPARE ME!!? THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL THAT'S EVER GOING TO HAPPEN!!"

 _If he can read my mind, then the answer is simple._ Tatsumi thought. _I just have to focus everything and attack him before he can react!!_

"Oh?" Said Zank. "You're a brave boy, aren't you...? I'm sure your wounds hurt. It's as if you want me, a master of beheading, to end your suffering!"

"BRING IT ON!!!" Tatsumi screamed as he rushed at Zank in a full-power attack with his sword. Before Zank could counter, Tatsumi was behind him and the serial killer had a small cut on his cheek.

 _That attack's speed was far past my_ _expectations._ Zank thought. _This kid..._

"And you have the **nerve** to call yourself a master of beheading?" Tatsumi grinned, still bleeding from Zank's counter. "Doesn't that mean you failed to kill me? Don't make me laugh, you pathetic dirtbag."

"SHUT UP!!" Zank shouted in anger, rushing at Tatsumi - only for a throwing knife to hit him in the back. "What -"

Before he could continue, Zank was kicked in the back of his head by Hantarr, who landed in a jump from a great height and hit him. "Congratulations for surviving this long against a Teigu user..." He said.

"Hantarr??" Tatsumi asked.

"Who the hell is this guy??" Zank panicked. "My Spectator can't read his mind... Even my _Foresight_ can't predict his movements!"

While Zank was talking, Hantarr stabbed his side with a knife before pushing him back with a spinning kick. "My body doesn't make any involuntary movements at all!" He said, attempting to kick Zank again only for him to stab Hantarr's chest. Hantarr elegantly dodged Zank's next hit, before the serial killer landed a flurry of arm blade attacks that Hantarr was easily avoiding, his movements like a leaf in the wind, before throwing another knife at him. Zank dodged by a hair as the knife broke a hole in a building behind Zank before hitting Hantarr with the arm blade again and sending him flying.

 _Is this guy even human?_ Zank gasped. _How could that be possible for him to be immune to my mind reading??_

Hantarr jumped up again and threw a flurry of knives at Zank, forcing the slasher to block them one by one with his arm blades and then slam them into the ground, creating a large crater and causing a small cut in Hantarr's leg. "There's one answer then!!" Zank yelled. "You've proven yourself worthy of my secret technique: _Illusion Sight_!!"

Hantarr simply ignored Zank and kicked him in the stomach. "That won't work on me!" He laughed, throwing a knife at Zank's stomach.

"What kind of monster are -" Zank started. However, before he could finish the sentence, a kunai hit him in the windpipe, killing him instantly. Tatsumi looked up, seeing a bald man in a white suit, a wind rose tattoo on his forehead and a pair of sunglasses standing on top of a building with a shield in hand.

"Thanks, Woru." Said Hantarr, who still had a gaping hole in his chest. "I didn't know how long I was going to hold on against that guy."

 _This bald guy must be another one of Kurome's puppets..._ Tatsumi thought. _I would of died if it weren't for them... But I'm NOT going to let it stay this way!_


	7. Kill the Fantasy

_"Tatsumi..." Said Ieyasu. "It's about time for us to get going."_

_"We're heading that way." Said Sayo. "You should go back now."_

_"What're you talking about?" Asked Tatsumi. "The three of us are supposed to go together!"_

_"But you've already found friends of your own, haven't you?" Ieyasu winked._

_"You can't rely on us forever and you know it!" Said Sayo._

_"Don't worry, Tatsumi." Said Ieyasu. "You will see us again... Some day. But right now, you'll have to let us go."_

_Saying this, Sayo and Ieyasu turned around and walked away without a word._

_"Wait!" Tatsumi cried out. "Please... Don't leave me alone..."_

Once he said that, the sound of an alarm clock woke Tatsumi up. "What a painful dream..." He grunted.

Then, Tatsumi noticed Sheele sleeping on the side of his bed and murmuring. "Tatsumi's going... To work with me today... Let's... Get along..."

 _Guess she dozed off..._ Tatsumi said to himself.

"I still don't think it's a good idea to put Sheele in charge of Tatsumi..." Said Lubbock, eating his breakfest at the conference room.

"It'll be fine..." Said the Boss. "I think they'd get along together just great."

"And what makes you said that?" Asked Lubbock.

"I'm just saying it's good for Tatsumi to have such an experienced teacher." Said Najenda.

"I'm calling dibs on Tatsumi next!!" Leone exclaimed.

"See? She's got talent too." Said Najenda, pointing at Leone.

"That's so unfair!" Lubbock yelled.

"For an assassin, having more experience means being a better killer." Said the Boss.

"You kidding." Said Leone.

"I just tried to say something cool..." Said the Boss.

No response.

"I'm guessing not then." Said Najenda.

Later that day, Sheele was watching as Tatsumi emerged out of a river covered in armor. "Great job swimming with full armor, Tatsumi!" Said Sheele.

"This is really hard!" Tatsumi complained.

"It's all part of the curriculum I came up with for your assassin training." Said Sheele. "I don't have a job at the hideout, so I can concentrate entirely on training you!"

Tatsumi thought for a moment. "Why don't you have a job?"

Sheele looked ashamed. "...Because I can't do any of the jobs right. Whenever I tried to cook food, I burnt it... When I tried to clean the room, I ended up making an even bigger mess... When I tried to do shopping, I accidentally bought salt instead of sugar... And when I tried to do laundry, I accidentally threw Mein in the washing machine!"

 _For some reason, I don't really mind that last one..._ Tatsumi thought. _In fact, it was sort of done well..._

"By the way, Sheele..." Tatsumi continued. "When I met everyone, you didn't seem happy about me joining..."

"I think there was a reason, but I've forgot what it was..." Said Sheele. "I should apologize and -" While she was talking, her glasses fell off. "Damn it, my glasses..." She picked them up.

"If you don't mind me asking..." Said Tatsumi. "Could you tell me why you chose this line of work to begin with?"

"It's a long story." Said Sheele. "I'm going to tell you."

 _I grew up at the Capital's lower districts, and since I was a child, I was a failure at everything I tried to do. There wasn't a single thing I was good at. People around me always threw insults at me, until... I met one person who still wanted to be my friend in spite of what I was. No matter how much I failed her, she never insulted me or called me stupid. The time I spent with her was the only thing I could say I liked in my life._ _Until that day..._

_While I was visiting my friend, an angry guy broke into her house. It was her ex-boyfriend, who was mad at her for leaving him, and violently attacked her. He grabbed her throat right in front of me and started to strangle her. He looked like he was high on drugs while he was doing this... All I could think of was that I had to save her. And I was completely calm. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen, and while the man wasn't on guard, I stabbed his throat. He died instantly... My friend was staring at his body and trembling in fear. But somehow, my mind was clear. The police ruled the incident out as self-defense, but I never seen my friend again after that._

_And then, not long after that, while I was walking the city along, a group of armed men showed up in front of me. They wanted vengeance for the man I killed, who was a second-in-command in their local gang. "We've already killed your parents," they said. "And now it's your turn." Even while they were saying this, my mind was completely clear. When the first of the gangsters attacked me, I easily dodged, grabbed his knife and stabbed him at a vital spot. Then, using his body as a shield, I killed all of the others one by one. That's when I finally understood... Whatever made me a failure at everything, also gave me an immense talent at killing. If I learned to use that talent, then finally, I won't be useless anymore._

"After that", Sheele concluded, "I became a mercenary and was eventually hired by the Boss to join Night Raid."

"So that's why you came up with a curriculum for training assassins, huh..." Said Tatsumi.

"That's right." Said Sheele. "It's because I don't have half the skill and experience that you have."

 _It seems like each one of us has their own motive..._ Tatsumi thought.

Meanwhile, in the conference room, Najenda was holding Zank's Teigu, the eye-shaped device he wore on his forehead, in her hand. "I'm still not sure what to do with this..." She said. "There's nothing about it in the book. I'm still curious as to what its abilities are."

"Wait a minute, boss..." Said Doya, who stood in the corner of the room. " **You** don't have a Teigu, right?"

"No, I don't." Said Najenda.

"It's just..." Doya said. "This Teigu is literally an eye. You're missing an eye. And you don't have a Teigu, even though you're the goddamn leader of Night Raid. So... Maybe you should take that eyepatch off and replace your missing eye with this Teigu instead?"

"I... Never thought about it." The Boss admitted. "I'm still not sure if I still have enough strength to wield a Teigu without my eye and my arm, but... I think this is worth a shot."

Somewhere in the North country, the dust settled over a fortified city. Its streets were now filled with corpses - some dismembered and impaled on spears, others frozen within solid blocks of ice. At the city's edge, a naked man was bound in chains and licking the boot of a female Imperial general with blue hair, who was holding a chain connected to a collar he was wearing.

"The Northern tribes were defeated in the blink of an eye!" Said an Imperial soldier. "As expected from you, general!"

The general, in return, looked at the man licking her boots. "Their army, their people, their pride, all easily crushed." She said in agreement. "Is this guy supposed to be their hero? You're worthless. Die!" She said, breaking his skull open with a kick. She got up, and looked over her army. "Is there no enemy out there who can satisfy me?"


	8. Kill the Evildoers

"This place is a lot more lively than your average slum, huh?" Said Tatsumi.

"Their hearts are strong as weeds." Said Leone. "This is what it happens to those who struggle to survive every moment of their lives."

"You seem awfully popular around these parts..." Said Tatsumi.

"This is my hometown." Said Leone. "I was born and raised here. I made a name for myself working at a local massage parlor..."

"THERE YOU ARE!!!" A group of angry men showed up and ran after Leone. "You still need to pay your drinking bill!" One of them yelled. "You have to settle your gambling debts!" Another screamed. "Give me back the money you scammed from me!" Shouted a third.

"Interesting place, huh?" Said Leone, running away instantly.

"INTERESTING? THOSE PEOPLE WANT YOUR HEAD!!!" Tatsumi screamed.

A lone soldier was kneeling before Emperor Makoto in his throne room. "Generals Nakakido and Hemi are gone." He said. "We suspect they might've defected to the Revolutionary Army!"

"Even the military genius Nakakido...?" Said one of the Ministers in the room.

"The Revolutionary Army's going to be a much bigger threat..." Said another.

"If we don't get a hold of this, the Empire -" A third started.

"Do not let your fear get a hold of you!" The Emperor said. "The Revolutionary Army lies defenseless in the South. We can deal with them at any time! Rebels gathering together would just make it easier to clean them up!!" He turned to the side. "Wouldn't you agree, Prime Minister...?"

"Fufufu..." The Prime Minister laughed. "As always, your majesty is a calm mountain within a sea of mayhem. We have a closer problem than some faraway rebel group, and that is the one we should be focusing on. The leader of the Imperial Police, assassinated. My own relative, Eiokal, dead! Even that serial killer was killed by Night Raid - and now they have his Teigu!! We have to deal with them at any cost...!! I've gained weight just trying to calm myself...!!"

"And what of them?" Asked the Emperor, a hint of contempt in his voice. "Our professionals are looking for their hideout at this very moment!"

"We've lost contact with them..." The Minister grunted. "They're probably dead... But I think I have a better plan."

"Oh?" The Emperor raised an eyebrow.

"I've already called in someone reputable who can finally put my uncontrollable rage at ease!!" The Minister laughed. "The one who has just recently destroyed the Northern Tribes, Great General Esdeath, is now on her way back to the Capital!"

Hearing this, all the other Ministers in the room froze in fear. "B... But Great General Budo is the one commanding the Capital's forces, is he not??" Said one of them.

"To reduce someone as noble as him to a mere rebel-hunter would by an unforgivable wound to his pride, would it not?" Said the Prime Minister.

"Esdeath, huh..." Makoto pondered. "A hero whose power surpasses even General Budo. I'm relieved!"

"She is a woman with a heart of ice who once buried 400,000 men alive at once." Said the Prime Minister. "She will bring to task those hopelessly incompetent Imperial guards. This isn't even a question of life or death anymore! These demons are growing stronger day by day. She'll hunt them down and kill them one after the other!!"

Tatsumi eventually stopped in a near-empty alley. "I'm pretty sure we lost them, right, Leo..." Turning his head to the side, he saw Leone wasn't there. "Oh shit, I lost her!" He whispered. "And I don't know where I am either! And we have a job to do tonight..."

"Oh my..." Said a young woman who was watching him. "My justice senses are tingling!" She turned to Tatsumi. "Hey there, young man! Do you perhaps need help with anything?"

 _Those clothes..._ Tatsumi thought.

"I am Seryu the Ubiquitous, fresh leader of the Imperial police and a warrior of justice!" The girl exclaimed, affirming his suspicions.

 _The Imperial police..._ Tatsumi thought, remembering the vicious captain he has killed.

Then, he noticed what looked like a living doll of a puppy tumbling around the policewoman. "Oh, are you hungry, Coro?" She said, petting him. "Just hang in there a little longer..."

"Uhm... What is that...?" Tatsumi said.

"It is my Teigu, Hekatonkheires!" Said Seryu. "But do not be worried - he only ever harms those who embrace evil!"

 _I read about him in the Boss' book...!_ Tatsumi recalled.

"I almost forgot - what seems to be the problem?" Seryu asked.

"Oh, right." Said Tatsumi. "I'm just... Well... Lost. I know the name of the bar where I should meet my friend, but I can't seem to find it..."

"We can't have that!!" Seryu said. "Thankfully, it's right on the path of my patrol! Come with me and I'll show you the way!" She grabbed his hand. "This way! Let's get you where you should be, okay?"

Hekatonkheires seemed to jump around and bark angrily. "Do all Imperial policemen have a Teigu...?" Tatsumi asked.

"Of course not, silly!" Said Seryu. "As a matter of fact, I'm the only one who owns one. Coro is... Ah, that's just how I call him. He only obeys a user who is perfectly compatible with him. I got him when I was just at the start of my police service - among the higher-ups no one seemed to be compatible with him, so they had to get lower ranks to test him as well. When I was tested, Coro seemed to respond to my strong sense of justice - and now he's my beloved partner! Isn't that right?"

"I... I see." Said Tatsumi.

"Well then, looks like we made it!" Said Seryu, pointing at the bar he mentioned.

"Thank you very much..." Said Tatsumi.

"Don't mention it!" Said Seryu. "And if you ever chance upon evil, don't hesitate to call me to the rescue, and I'll immediately come to utterly destroy it!"

"Ahahahaha, that's reassuring..." Tatsumi sighed.

"Let's go, Coro! Are you still hungry?" Said Seryu, starting to hop away. "If you're still hungry, how do five death row prisoners sound to you?"

 _The new leader of the Imperial police is a Teigu user..._ Tatsumi thought. _She certainly seems dangerous. I'm gonna have to tell the boss..._

At another part of the Capital not far away from where Tatsumi got lost, Leone was bouncing a severed head in her hand while standing over three brutally dismembered corpses, in her beast form. "I hope your debt money was really worth it..." She said to herself. "Sorry Tatsumi, but I just couldn't let you see this eyesore. What kind of big sister would I be then?"

After dark, Tatsumi and Leone were standing on top of a building at another district entirely. "So this is the redlight district, huh...?" Said Tatsumi. "The air definitely feels different."

"That straightforwardness is kinda cute, kid..." Said Leone. "Alright then, let's get to work! _Lionelle, transform!_ "

Once she said that, Leone's buckle belt burst into flames that then covered her body, making her hair, arms, and teeth all transform into that of a demonic lion. "Alright!" She said. "Transforming always gets me pumped up! Now let's sneak in - we got some killing to do!" Then, she grabbed Tatsumi and began to leap across the buildings' roofs at incredible speed. Before Tatsumi knew it, the two crushed into the attic of a certain building. "We made it!" Leone cheered.

"That's what you meant by _sneak in_?" Tatsumi asked sarcastically.

"Over here! Hurry up!" Leone scolded him. Looking through a hole in the roof, she and Tatsumi could see the room below them was full of prostitutes and smelled of drug smoke.

"Ohoho... Very nice." Said one of two men standing at the entrance. "Hey there, girls! Remember to keep making more money and we'll keep giving you more incense!"

"Oka~~~~y!♡" Said the girls.

"Uh, boss?" Said the other man. "You should take a look at this one."

The boss, as well as Leone and Tatsumi, looked down and saw a white-haired girl who lied on the floor and looked completely stoned. "I think we broke her..." The second man whispered.

"Hahhhh... I need more of your drugs~~" Said the girl, crawling on all fours and tugging on the sleeves of the boss' pants.

"Take her out..." Said the boss. "We'll just have to get another one."

The second man nodded and broke the girl's skull with one punch. "We're just gonna have to call up another stupid bitch from the slums, isn't that right?"

"Those good-for-nothing sluts would do anything for money, after all..." Said his boss.

"So that's why we were requested to kill these bastards." Tatsumi said coldly.

"The one he just killed was somebody that I used to know." Leone growled. "They make me sick. We have to put an end to this business!"

"With pleasure." Said Tatsumi.

The two followed the pimps to an adjacent room, where various others awaited them.

"I think it's about time we start expanding our drug delivery routes, don't you think?" Said one of them.

"Guess so." Said the boss. "Maybe we should head over to Chiburi's place to discuss it with him."

Suddenly, a hole broke in the ceiling, Leone and Tatsumi bursting out of it. "The only place you're going... IS HELL!" Said Tatsumi.

"Intruders! Kill them!" One of the pimps shouted. A group of armed guards ran at Leone and Tatsumi with their swords, only for the two to make short work of them.

"Our targets are the drug smuggling ringleaders..." Leone remarked. "But if you share their guilt, I'll let you die with them."

As the last guard went down, one of the ringleaders took out a gun and aimed it at Tatsumi. "If you think we're going down that easily, then you've got a-"

"Save your pleads to the King of Hell!" Said Tatsumi, cleaving him in half.

Leone was holding the other ringleader by his neck, facing away from Tatsumi, who couldn't see that one of her eyes turned into a glowing red dot. "What the hell do you guys want?" The ringleader grunted. "Money? Drugs? I'll give you whatever you want if you just let me go!"

"I don't care for either of these." Said Leone. "The only thing I want from you... Is your life!" She said, punching a hole in his chest.

"Sooo..." Said Tatsumi, while he and Leone were walking away from the house. "What's gonna happen to all those girls they had on drugs?"

"That's not our problem, isn't it?" Said Leone. "With a bit of luck, some doctor might be able to figure out what happened and take care of them. The chance that they'll survive isn't very high."

"Say what you want..." Said Tatsumi, a little bit disturbed. "But I know you're a kind person at heart. As long as there's a chance, I'll keep my hopes up."

"Tatsumi." Said Leone. "I always thought this way about you, but... That face you're making is really adorable." She said, covering the side of Tatsumi's face with her breasts and licking his cheek.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING??" Tatsumi yelled.

"Marking you." Said Leone. "If you grow up to be a handsome man, you're **mine**."

Then, she looked away at the horizon. "So... I wonder how the others are doing?"

At another part of the Capital, Mein, Sheele and Hantarr were all running into the night. "That Chiburi guy was really wary of attacks..." Said Mein.

"In the end, it made no difference." Said Sheele.

Suddenly, a strong shockwave pushed the two girls away from each other as Seryu the Ubiquitous landed in between them. "Another enemy??" Mein asked. _Who the hell is this? I didn't notice her presence at all..._ She thought.

 _She seems different from all the guards we've encountered so far._ Sheele concluded.

"I _knew_ it." Said Seryu, holding a wanted poster with Sheele's face on it. "Your face is on that wanted poster... You are Sheele of Night Raid! And that must mean the two who are with you are also part of Night Raid! I knew hiding and waiting night after night was worth it. Finally I've tracked you down, you criminal scumbags! **I, captain of the Imperial police Seryu the Ubiquitous, will make you evildoers suffer in the name of justice right here and now!!!** "


	9. Kill the Moral Absolutes

"So you know who we are." Said Mein. "Why are you here? I'm pretty sure you didn't come here just to die."

"I'm here to serve justice to you, and I don't care who you are!" Seryu exclaimed. "I will avenge my father who fell in the line of duty to villains like you, and my beloved master who was murdered by you and your friends. I'll never forgive you!"

"She's really intent on doing this, huh?" Said Mein. "Okay then! The first to strike has the advantage!" She exclaimed, firing a flurry of energy bullets at Seryu, which exploded into smoke. "I got you!" Said Mein.

Then the smoke cleared, revealing Coro was standing in front of Seryu, now far larger than previous and with many holes in its body, which then promptly regenerated.

"Mein, that thing's a Teigu!" Said Sheele. 

"Seems like its an automaton-type as well!" Said Mein.

"TONFA GUN!!" Seryu yelled, aiming the tonfas she held in her hands at the three assassins, who began to dodge as she was firing antipersonnel bullets at them.

 _They're too fast..._ Seryu thought. _I don't think attacking from this distance would be helpful._ She turned to her dog. "CORO, PREY!!"

Coro opened its mouth, revealing a large circular maw filled with multiple rows of teeth rotating like a meat grinder, as it leaped at Sheele. Unfazed, Sheele swung her scissors and slit Coro's neck.

Seryu smirked as her Teigu got up behind Sheele, regenerating its wound, and prepared to strike Sheele again, only for Hantarr to push it back with a kick.

"You remember what the book said, right, Sheele?" Mein asked. "This Teigu has a core hidden inside its body. It will continue to regenerate until we take it out."

"Sounds like quite the troublesome opponent we've got this time..." Said Sheele.

"Coro, arms!" Said Seryu. Coro nodded, its small stub-like arms growing into muscular humanoid arms.

"Looks like we've got no choice, Sheele..." Said Mein.

"Understood!" Said Sheele.

"PULVERIZE THEM!!" Seryu yelled, prompting Coro to rush at Mein with a flurry of punches.

"What the hell? There's no way I can dodge this!" Mein screamed.

"Get behind me!" Said Sheele, moving in front of her friend and blocking Coro's onslaught with her scissors.

Seeing her enemies distracted, Seryu took out a whistle and quickly blew it, casually dodging a knife Hantarr threw at her.

"She's calling for reinforcements on top of her Teigu..." Mein muttered. "Now that's what I call... Being in a pinch!!" She jumped into the air towards Coro. "LET'S DO THIS!!" She said, firing a powerful beam that burned off Coro's face.

"Her power increased?" Seryu gasped. While she was watching, Hantarr threw a knife and hit Seryu's shoulder. "If I take you out, your Teigu will deactivate!" He said, continuing to throw knives at Seryu and forcing her to block them.

At the same time, Coro's face grew back. "Shit!" Said Mein. "It regenerated already! What an unbelievable tenacity..."

Seryu, meanwhile, kicked Hantarr away. "Don't underestimate Coro's resilience!"

While she said that, Sheele appeared behind her. "Your Teigu's just a tool." She said. "All we have to do is kill you and it will stop!"

 _Now they're both aiming at me??_ Seryu gasped.

"EXTASE!!!" Sheele screamed as a blinding light emanated from her scissors. Before Seryu could react, a knife hit her in the back, and Sheele ran at her with a flurry of scissor attacks, which she promptly blocked, ignoring the knife. "The user isn't weak either..." She said to herself.

Hekatonkheires began to turn around, only for Mein's lazer cannon to punch a hole in its side. "Don't forget about me!" Said Mein. "I'm not letting you go!"

 _This thing's too strong for me to take down even while I'm in a pinch..._ Mein thought. _But I just need to keep it distracted until I find the core!_

Sheele was continuing to attack Seryu with her scissors, forcing the police captain to constantly be on the defensive. A knife hit the back of her hand, forcing her to drop one of her tonfas. "Oh crap-" She said, holding her arms up to block Sheele's next attacks which severed both of them.

 _She sacrificed both her arms to prevent a killing blow..._ Sheele thought. _But all she did was left herself defenseless!_

"JUSTICE WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL!" Seryu screamed as a pair of guns appeared out of her severed arms.

"Body modifications!?" Sheele gasped.

"This is the secret technique my master gave me. Take this!" Seryu fired a powerful armor-piercing bullet at Sheele, who simply blocked it with her scissors once again, before severing the guns as well.

"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Seryu screamed in despair. _Coro is going to overheat and I won't be able to use it anymore after this, but I have no choice..._ She thought. "CORO! SECRET TECHNIQUE: BERSERKER!!!"

Once she said that, Coro's collar snapped, its muscles swollen and its fur turned black, its doll-like appearance disappeared entirely and was replaced with one resembling of a gigantic humanoid hound. It roared, causing a powerful sonic wave that paralyzed Mein and Sheele before grabbing Mein in its arm.

"MEIN!" Screamed Sheele.

"CRUSH HER!" Screamed Seryu. Coro fastened its grip on Mein as tight as it could, starting to crack her ribs and causing her to cry in agonizing pain. Seryu was quickly dodging Hantarr's attacks while Sheele sliced off Coro's arm.

"Sheele!" Mein whispered, blushing.

"I made it just in time!" Said Sheele...

...Before a powerful bullet pierced her through the chest. "I can't move..." She whispered. Seryu smirked, a third gun hidden in her mouth, as Coro jumped at her with an open maw.

However, before the powerful Teigu could devour Sheele, Hantarr pushed her out of the way and was swallowed whole. "Hantarr... You..." Sheele started.

"Over here! They're battling!" Said an Imperial policeman, as a large group of policemen began to show up.

Sheele grunted, every movement she was making was clearly painful as she lifted her scissors and screamed "E...X...TASE!!!!"

As before, a bright light surrounded the town square, blinding everyone but herself and Mein. "She hit me in a pressure point!" Sheele screamed. "You have to grab me and run!"

Both of Mein's hands were dangling beside her body, her bones cracked. She gritted her teeth and ran at Sheele, using the last of her strength to grab her and balance her on her shoulder before running away as fast as she could.

When the light faded, none of the Night Raid assassins were present. "What the hell was that light just now??" One of the guards asked.

"Captain Seryu, are you alright?" Another guard looked over to Seryu, who had lost both of her arms, but was still laughing madly. "Ahahaha... I did it...!" She laughed. "Even though two of these half-hearted criminals ran away, I managed to kill one of them... Father!" She looked at the sky. "I defeated a villain all on my own! I can feel the light of justice in my heart shining upon the world...!"

Night Raid was gathering in Sheele's bedroom at the hideout. The latter had her chest patched up and was confined to her bed, and Mein had one arm bandaged and one hanging from a sling. Most of the group looked concerned, but it seemed to mostly be about Sheele and Mein.

Tatsumi looked over to Kurome. "Aren't you sad that you lost Hantarr?"

"A little..." Kurome said. "I didn't really have that much of an attachment with him. He was just some bandit I made a puppet because he was powerful. Nothing more."

"I see..." Said Tatsumi. "Is that the same with all of your puppets?"

"All of them except Natala and Doya." Said Kurome. "I only became attached to Doya after she was my puppet because of something she carries... But Natala was my childhood friend when he was alive."

 _What is Doya carrying that Kurome is attached to...?_ Tatsumi wanted to say, but didn't.

Kurome moved a little closer for him. "Hey..." She whispered. "I just need one more."

At morning, a large draconian monster landed outside the Capital, a rider dropping from its back.

"I'm home, Capital." Said Esdeath.


	10. Kill the Grieving

_"Tonight's contact isn't a request from the people..." The Boss said. "It's a direct order from the Revolutionary Army higher-ups. Our targets are two civil officials called the brothers Kobore; they are direct subordinates of the Prime Minister who do the lion's share of the work for him. Be on top of your game tonight! To weaken the Empire's grip, even by just a little bit... They must be sacrificed!"_

Tatsumi and Leone were standing outside of a small living room where two men in sunglasses and black berets were talking over a cup of wine. Without wasting a second, Tatsumi impaled one through the chest with his sword, and Leone snapped the other's neck, before the two of them quickly turned away and left.

"...Daddy?" A child's voice caught Tatsumi's attention. "What were those noises just now...?"

For just a split second, Tatsumi's eyes crossed with the eyes of a little boy who just went in through the door. Tatsumi immediately ran away as fast as he could, while the child was breaking into tears.

When Tatsumi stopped running, he already reached a river underneath the brothers Kobore's house, which was on top of a high mountain. "That man was a villain who deceived and abused others..." Tatsumi said to himself. "But even he had a son who loved him. This is a stain that will always remain with me... No matter how hard I try."

"A stain? Really?" Said Leone, who was already behind him and in her human form. She hugged him again, burying his face in her chest. "I got worried knowing you were just too kindhearted for that... So I came here to check on you."

"You just have that much mental fortitude, huh, big sister?" Tatsumi asked.

"Nope. I just don't really care."

"Are you going to tell me how you got into this line of work?"

"I just went around killing people I didn't like until Night Raid scouted me and told me to do it as a job."

"Wait, that's it?? How did you get your Teigu then?"

"I bought it from some dude at the black market who didn't know it was a Teigu."

"So... Why are you an assassin?"

"Cause it's fun."

"You kill people for fun?"

"I was always a good-for-nothing and never got depressed because of it. And here's a tip: Being sad about killing someone isn't going to achieve anything."

Far away from there, dozens of people were being tortured in a large hidden room underneath the Capital palace. Whipped, strapped to wheels, having their eyes plucked, getting beaten with spiked knuckles and forced into spiked chairs. So many people were screaming in agony that even some of the torturers had to wear helmets to block out the noise.

And at the center of the torture chamber, men and women were being thrown into an enormous cauldron of boiling oil. "Come on, let's see how loud you can scream!" Laughed a torturer who was holding a woman by her hair in one hand and a cleaver in his other hand. "This is what happens to those who oppose our Emperor!" Said another one who was standing next to a human-sized chopping board and slicing a man like a cucumber.

"What is this...?" A woman's voice was heard from the entrance. "Looking at you all is just pathetic."

"Do you want to join the-" A torturer started to say before stopping himself as he saw who was speaking. "Mistress Esdeath!?!?" He gasped, seeing his mentor walk into the torture chamber with three other figures behind her. "We had no idea you returned! We're terribly sorry!" He fell on his knees.

"Truly pathetic..." Esdeath said. "Have I taught you nothing about the art of torture?" She looked over at the giant cauldron in the center. "For instance, what's with the temperature of that bowl? They'd die far too quickly if it's this hot."

With a snap of her fingers, a gigantic ice boulder appeared on top of the cauldron and crushed into it, making the oil instantly go from boiling to freezing. "Lower the temperature like so, and you'll be able to prolong their suffering far further."

"Yes, mistress! Thank you for the valuable lesson!" The torturers said.

"Let's get out of here." Said Esdeath, leaving along with the three behind her.

"That's mistress Esdeath for you..." Whispered one of the torturers. "She's an extreme sadist in heart and soul. And so are the three following close behind her... The Trio of Beasts."

"They were with her while she buried the Northern tribes alive and made sure there are no survivors..." Another torturer said. "They are a group of bloodthirsty animals... What would I give to become one of them!"

"From what I hear, the training they went through is so brutal that almost everyone who tried it died." Said the first.

"General Esdeath..." The young Emperor said as his Great General was kneeling under his throne. "Your conquest of the Northern tribes was a superb work! Your efforts shalt be properly rewarded with 10,000 gold coins."

"I am grateful, your majesty." Said Esdeath. "We left not a single soldier alive."

"Splendid." Said the Emepror. "Now I must apologize - I realize you've just returned, but we already have a job for you that needs to be done. An atrocious group known as Night Raid who have been running rampant in the Capital... I must request of you to purge this evil from my kingdom."

"I understand." Said Esdeath. "I would need one thing for that, your majesty."

"What is it then?" Asked the Emperor. "Soldiers? I can give you as many as you wish."

"The enemy is one who possesses many Teigu." Esdeath explained. "And it takes a Teigu to defeat a Teigu, your majesty. I would require for an elite group of Teigu users to be assembled - only that would be sufficient. I shall form a group of the most powerful Teigu users who will maintain peace and security in the Capital."

"Don't you already have a group of Teigu users named the Trio of Beasts?" Asked the Emperor.

"Your majesty..." Said the Minister. "I believe we can rest easy knowing we can trust Esdeath to make the right decision."

"If that is what you require, then I would not question it." Said the Emperor. "Will you handle the preparations on your own?"

"Of course, your majesty." Said Esdeath. "I would see to it personally."

"Then I can be assured that peace will return to my Capital!" Said the Emperor.

"Great General Esdeath is very loyal..." The Minister whispered in Makoto's ear. "She has no interest in politics and amassing power. Facing and crushing an enemy is everything to her. While we keep the country under our thumb, all she desires is to fight strong enemies. And as far as having an advantage goes, she is the ultimate trump card!"

"I don't believe any mere gold would be a sufficient reward for such an important task." Said Makoto. "I believe you deserve something more special. Is there anything you desire...? Titles? Lands?"

Esdeath looked very uncharacteristically indecisive. "None of that would be necessary, your majesty." She said eventually. "As uncomplimentary as your Prime Minister's description of me was -"

The Minister gasped. "You **heard** me?"

"Another person might've objected to your choice of words." Esdeath continued, ignoring him. "But I've come to terms with the fact that it's accurate. I have no use for titles or lands, or gold for that matter. I seek only the thrill of hunting down the most powerful pests that plague this country. To me it is its own reward."

"This is your biggest mission yet, and you're willing to do it without asking for anything in return?" The Emperor raised an eyebrow. "This... Doesn't feel right."

"Out of everything you've heard today, _this_ is what doesn't feel right?" Esdeath asked humorously.

"You have no reason to feel bad about something that benefits us." The Minister said. "And really, what did you **expect** Great General Esdeath to ask for? Did you really think she'd be interested in anything we can give her more than facing the challenge itself? What's next, are you going to suggest to find her a husband so she can raise a family?!"

After the last remark, everyone started to laugh. Even Esdeath chuckled a little; no one, not even the seven-year-old Emperor, would be so dumb as to think Esdeath would be interested in anything resembling love.

Back at the brothers Kobore's house, the boy Tatsumi saw was laying on the floor and crying...

When suddenly, a figure grabbed him by the neck - a person wearing a hood that obscured their whole figure, and a mask covering their face with one half completely white and the other completely black. Even its arms were covered in bandages that made sure not an inch of their skin was visible. It spoke so quietly that the boy couldn't even tell if they were male or female.

"What do you know... Even Night Raid didn't want to kill you." It said. "You saw one of them, he knows you did. You know what he looked like and he still let you go... What a fool."

Before the boy could say a word, the masked figure took out a knife and slit his throat.


	11. Kill the Imposters

Tatsumi yelled out as he rushed against Kurome with his sword, attacking her with a massive flurry of hits that were all blocked easily. With one swing of her sword, Kurome pushed him away and dropped him to the ground. "Let's do it again!" Tatsumi screamed.

"I feel like you should take a break..." Said Kurome.

"Why would I take a break?" Tatsumi said as he got up. "Didn't I tell you? Come at me as if it was a real life or death battle!" He grabbed his sword again. "HERE I COME!!"

And then Brad punched him in the face making him drop to the floor.

"What the hell, bro??" Tatsumi started yelling at him.

"In a real fight, you should always pay attention to your surroundings." Said Brad. "After all, you can never know where the enemy is going to strike next."

Tatsumi started to get up again. He was clearly out of stamina, but he was still determined to continue.

"You look more fired up than usual." Brad deduced. "Why is that?"

"Nothing..." Tatsumi growled. "I just want to get stronger quickly. I promised to Kurome that I'll survive!"

Kurome blushed, giggling with a hand covering her mouth.

"Looks like you're finally acting like a real man." Said Brad, hitting Tatsumi's back. "You've grown! If you want to get stronger that badly, you should hang out with me a little more. I know exactly what to do!"

"Bro..." Tatsumi stepped back blushing.

Brad grabbed a spear from a nearby weapon stand. "Now, unto the first lesson. Follow me, Tatsumi!"

"W-with pleasure, bro!" Said Tatsumi, following close behind him.

"Good luck..." Said Kurome, grabbing her bag of sweets as soon as the two were out of sight. "Should I tell him?" She thought to herself. "He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who'd think I'm worthless if I did. Still... I bet he's going to think I'm a freak and just won't have the heart to say that out loud."

Minutes later, Tatsumi and Brad were climbing on top of a mountain covered with fog, with nothing but a few dead trees around them. "This is the first time I've been so deep in the moutains..." Tatsumi muttered. "It's getting real foggy."

"We are now in Mt. Fake." Said Brad. "This place is about as dangerous as the Capital."

"Really?" Said Tatsumi, looking back at him - just in time to see one of the dead trees open a monstrous eye and swing its branch, pulverizing Tatsumi's backpack before he could react. The tree's roots pulled out of the ground, revealing spider-like legs, and a monstrous mouth opened underneath its eye.

"What the -" Tatsumi started, before Brad threw his spear and impaled the tree through its eye.

"Tree monsters." Said Brad. "Don't space out or they'll eat you! Mt. Fake earned its name because even its trees and rocks are fake, as they're actually monsters in disguise. My aim is to have you battle them in order to raise your awareness of your environment! You're all fired up about surviving no matter what?"

"Yeah!" Tatsumi exclaimed.

"We're going to take the edible ones to the nearby villages." Said Brad. "That way, we'll be able to do a good deed while we're training!"

"Great thinking, bro!" Said Tatsumi.

"And if you were to get wounded, I'll make sure to nurse you back to health down at base camp!" Said Brad.

"WHY ARE YOU BLUSHING WHEN YOU'RE SAYING THAT???" Tatsumi yelled.

In a faraway village at the Empire's outskirts, a group of Imperial soldiers were accompanying a carriage harnessed to a giant boar. In the carriage were a bald old man with a black crown and a young woman with blonde hair.

"This village as well... How terrible." Said the old man. "A nation is said to be made of its people, and yet look at how depraved they are."

"They're just poor." Said the girl. "I think you're heading to a nest of vipers when you return to the Capital, father."

"I can't just stay retired when people are still living in such misery." Said her father. "If I do, this country's doomed. Until this changes, I'm going to fight that Minister to the bitter end!"

"I'll protect you with my life!" His daughter said in agreement.

"You've grown to be such a fine woman..." Said the old man. "This gallantry is the only thing in your way to become a bride."

"WHY THE FUCK DOES THAT MATTER!?" His daughter yelled, blushing. "Wait, what's that?" She said, looking forward and seeing three figures: A muscular blonde man with no pupils in his eyes, a tall old man with grey hair, and a skinny young boy, all wearing black uniforms.

"Are those bandits?!" The bald man asked. "Has public order fallen that far?!"

"Prepare yourselves!" Said one of the soldiers, as both they and the man's daughter got into position. "We'll deal with them just like the last ones!"

"Deidara..." Said the grey-haired man.

"Yeah?" Asked the muscular man.

"LET'S GO!!"

The muscular man named Deidara took out an axe and cleaved a whole row of soldiers in half with one swing, also leaving a deep cut in the girl's stomach. _He's too strong..._ The blonde girl thought, dropping to her knees. _My skill doesn't even compare..._

Suddenly, the little boy bent over in front of the girl. "Not bad..." He said playfully. "You're pretty skilled to have survived an attack from Deidara, but..." He took out a knife. "Considering what I'm about to do to you, I'm pretty sure you would've wished you were cut in half."

At the same time, Deidara cut the carriage in half, forcing the bald crowned man out of it. His grey-haired partner stood in front of him. "You're wearing the uniforms of Imperial officers!" The man with the black crown said.

"That is correct." Said the attacker in front of him. "I'm a great admirer of your diplomatic works, sir."

"THEN WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING ME!?" Said the bald diplomat.

"Because above all..." The attacker beheaded him with a simple swipe of his hand. "Our master's orders are absolute!!"

"Fifteen guards. Is that all?" Said Deidara. "All right! This experience will make me stronger!"

"Spread out the leaflets!" Said the old man. "Help me out here, Deidara!"

With a bored expression, Deidara along with his two partners began to throw out leaflets and spread them over the bodies and destroyed carriage.

"So that's what the Minister was using us for..." Said Deidara. "He's always been accused of getting rid of his political opponents."

"The hand in this will _appear_ to lead to the officials under the protection of Great General Budo." Said the grey-haired old man.

"That's right!" Said Deidara. "That's why it's our turn to act, isn't it?"

"We already explained it to you..." Said his partner.

"Hey River, check this out!" Said the little boy. "I got another one for my collection!" He said, holding a skinned face.

"Nyau, that's disgusting!" Said Deidara.

"You made sure she was actually dead, didn't you?" Asked River, the old man.

Nyau laughed. "She died from shock before I was even done!"

"Great." Said River. "Let's get back home then. I'll make something special for dinner to celebrate this occassion."

Nyau began sweating. "Please don't..."

"Your cooking's about as dangerous as the average Teigu!" Said Deidara. "Even mistress Esdeath passed out the first time she tried it!"

"It'll be fine this time..." Said River. "I'll use the saliva of an Evil Bird as a subtle seasoning."

"HOW WOULD THAT MAKE IT ANY BETTER!?" Deidara yelled.

They continued to walk away as their leaflets were covering the scene, each one reading "DIVINE JUDGEMENT, DELIVERED BY NIGHT RAID".

"Everyone's here?" Asked the Boss, who now had Zank's Spectator replacing her missing eye. "Good. I have bad news to relay - three of them in fact. First, I lost contact with the local team."

"The local team?" Tatsumi asked.

"It's a team that handles assassinations in the areas around the Capital." Said Kurome.

"It's currently being investigated, and the likelihood that they were killed is high." The Boss continued. "Be prepared for the worst. For the time being, I think it may be necessary to increase security around the hideout."

"I'm going to increase the range of my threads for a start." Said Lubbock.

"Second, Esdeath has returned from her conquest of the North." Said Najenda.

Everyone looked shocked, except Tatsumi, who just asked, "who?"

"The Empire's Strongest, Great General Esdeath." Said Kurome. "She's a sadistic monster who wields a Teigu that manipulates ice and who grows more powerful every single day. We anticipated that it would take her a year or two to conquer the North country, but she was able to destroy it entirely in mere days."

"It seems as though much of her army remained there to keep it under control though." Said Najenda.

"Then it's safe to say that she wasn't brought back to deal with the Revolutionary Army, isn't it..." Said Brad.

"I have no idea what her next move would be." Said Najenda. "Currently she seems to spend most of her time at the government's torture facilities. Leone, I want you to go to the Capital and find out what she's up to."

"Got it!" Said Leone. "I always wanted to know what type of person she is."

"She's a genocidal maniac who slaughters people for fun." Said Najenda. "Keep on your guard."

"Got it..." Said Leone again, quieter this time.

"And last..." Said Najenda. "There's been a string of murders in the Capital lately, targeting civil officials. So far 4 officials and over 60 bodyguards were killed... And there are posters who claim to be from Night Raid at every one of the crime scenes."

"Why would anyone do that? We're already wanted criminals!" Said Sheele.

"Not to mention it's obvious that it's fake..." Said Tatsumi. "We never claimed responsibility for any of our murders and we have no reason to start now."

"That's why I thought at first too." Said Najenda. "But they seem to go out of their way to prove no one but us could've done it."

"How?" Asked Tatsumi.

"After each incident, the officials significantly increased their security." Said the Boss. "But it made absolutely no difference. The latest incident had the previous Prime Minister Chouri massacred alongside over 30 highly trained guards as well as his daughter, who was an Imperial Fist master of the highest rank. No one but us could accomplish something like this - at least, that's what everyone seems to think."

"So these assassins are on the same realm of power as ours." Said Kurome. "Namely, power on par with Teigu users."

Najenda lit another cigarette and placed it in her mouth. "The victims were all good people who wanted nothing to do with the current Prime Minister... They were opposed to the ills brought about by his corruption. In other words, the Minister is taking out his political rivals and then blames it on Night Raid."

"That sounds like a trap to lure out the real Night Raid." Said Brad.

"I realized this could be a trap..." Said the Boss. "But I wanted to inform you anyway. The officials who were killed were all highly skilled people who opposed the Prime Minister and would have nothing to do with the Revolutionary Army. They only cared about their country. Good and talented people such as these officials would be essential for rebuilding this country after the war is over. We cannot afford to lose any more of them! We must head out and crush this group of fakes! Any questions?"

"I really don't understand anything about politics..." Said Tatsumi, clenching his fist. "But using Night Raid's name to commit crimes just makes me sick!"

"Exactly, Tatsumi!" Said Brad.

"Alright. Then it's decided!" Said Najenda. "We are going to find the fools who used our name, and teach them the law of assassins!! There are about five officials who we suspect are being targeted. Out of those five, only two have any plans to leave the Capital. Lubbock and Kurome are going to protect one of these, and Brad and Tatsumi will protect the other!"

"Where is the official we'll be protecting planning to go?" Asked Tatsumi.

"The outskirts of the Capital." Said Najenda. "He plans to board a ship anchored to the start of the grand canal - the massive luxury liner, Dragon Cruiser."

"THIS THING'S HUUUUUUGE!!" Tatsumi gasped, seeing the enormous ship with a prow shaped like a dragon's head. He looked over to Brad, who was standing next to him and using Incursio to make himself invisible. _This ship looks like a fortress. This is where we're going to ambush the imposters?_

He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Let's board quickly."


	12. Kill the Trio

_The efforts of a million workers was needed to complete this canal, and it took seven years to finish its construction._

_As a result, dissatisfaction towards the Capital increased due to the laborious and costly works that the Empire's people were forced to complete._

_In the long run, however, the great canal has proven very useful for commerce and the Empire's power only grew since its opening._

_An equally great contribution was the completion of the Emperor's largest ship, the Dragon Cruiser._

"This is gorgeous..." Tatsumi murmured, wearing an elegant white suit as he was boarding the ship in disguise.

Suddenly, the invisible Brad tapped his back with his hand. "Don't forget your cover!" He reminded him, whispering. "You are a young master of a wealthy family who's nervous because of the extravagance in the Capital."

"Yeah, bro. I got that..." Tatsumi whispered.

He distanced himself from the rest of the shipgoers and stood at the edge of the deck, looking downwards at the crowd watching the ship. "There sure are a lot of people down there..." He whispered. "The Night Raid imposters might be attacking here, but there are so many people on the ship, and the guy we're sent to protect is surrounded by armed guards. Assassinating him is going to be nigh-impossible... I guess it was no use to come here."

In response, Tatsumi's invisible partner hit his head. "Deciding that on your own is negligent, Tatsumi." He said.

"Ugh... Bro..." Tatsumi groaned, rubbing his head.

"My invisibility would give me the upper hand." Said Brad. "But we have no idea if the enemy can do something similar..."

"That's true..." Said Tatsumi. "Sorry, bro. Now can you please stop hitting me?"

"This is how I'm expressing my affection!" Said Brad.

"At any rate, you've got a handy piece of armor..." Said Tatsumi. "It was only because of it that we could infiltrate this ship."

"Correct!" Said Brad. "I've fought with it to the bitter end in the war against the Southern tribes. It's almost like a partner to me... But no matter how hard I worked, in the end..."

_The general whom I fought with for years, was accused of a crime he never committed and caged away by the Empire's own soldiers. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND!!" I cried out to him. "How could they do this to you after everything you've achieved?!"_

_"Because I refused to give bribes to the new Prime Minister." He said to me._

_"How could he decide your fate based on bribes instead of your accomplishments!?" I asked in disbelief._

_"Brad..." He said. "I'll defend myself against his accusations when I return to the Capital. Right now they believe I'm a traitor... But I've done nothing wrong. I know they'll understand that's a lie."_

_"General..." I started._

_"It will take time." He said to me sternly. "Your Teigu and your position might all be confiscated simply because you worked under me. Forgive me, Brad."_

_But when my general returned to the Capital, he didn't even face a trial. I was branded as a criminal solely for defending him._

"It was only thanks to my Teigu that I was able to get out alive." Brad concluded.

"This is screwed up." Said Tatsumi in disbelief. "This is horrible!"

"My invisibility is at its limit..." Said Brad. "I have to take my armor off."

"Everyone here knows what you look like." Said Tatsumi. "You have to leave this area to me."

"Correct." Said Brad. "I'm going to investigate the insides of the ship."

 _If anybody looks conspicuous, I'll keep an eye on them..._ Tatsumi said to himself. _Then again, I kind of look conspicuous myself._

Suddenly, a quiet recorder song began to play across the deck. Tatsumi began to look around looking for the one playing.

"Such an elegant tone, as always..." Said River, sitting inside the ship with Nyau who was playing his flute. "It suits the ship nicely." He looked out of the window. "And we just took off the shore... The timing's just right."

"I've been playing my recorder for long enough." Said Nyau. "I've drained everyone's willpower to the point where it won't recover by itself if I stop."

"Don't be negligent." Said River. "There might still be people who're far enough to not be exposed to your music."

"Alrighty." Said Nyau. "I'm going to play a little more then."

Back at the top deck, everyone around Tatsumi slowly became lethargic, their movements slowed down, before they passed out completely. "What in the world is going on!?" Tatsumi said as he looked around. "I have to call bro, but my strength's leaving me! Is it because of that recorder sound!? I can still hear it even when I'm covering my ears. This must be the work of an enemy Teigu!!"

While he was monologuing, Deidara stepped outside. "It was so dull hiding inside..." He grunted. "Huh? There's a guy out there who's resisting Scream's effect?" He smirked and walked up to Tatsumi. "I have to commend you for such a strong resistance to hypnotism... But I can't let you stay alive and see it through."

"You must be the imposter Night Raid!" Tatsumi growled.

"And you must be one of the real ones." Said Deidara. "That's great." He walked up to an unconscious bodyguard and picked a sword out of his body before throwing it at Tatsumi, who caught it.

"What're you doing..." Tatsumi questioned.

"I just want to get more fighting experience." Said Deidara. "That's the only way to get stronger." He took out a gigantic-sized double axe. "Now, come at me! Everyone else is out of the way, so it should be easy!"

"Then I'll give you a good experience..." Said Tatsumi, unsheathing the sword. "An all expanses trip to hell!"

"Excellent power right there!" Deidara laughed. "Destroying you is gonna give me a great experience!!"

Tatsumi stopped running at Deidara at the last moment when the muscular man slammed his axe into the ship's wooden floor, shattering a large portion of it. Just the shockwave from his attack sent Tatsumi back and he had to break with his sword.

"Considering what the music's doing to you, that was a pretty good dodge." Said Deidara. "Well then, how 'bout this?" He separated the axe's two blades and threw one of them at Tatsumi. He dodged, but the blade came flying back and cut his stomach before Deidara caught it.

 _This is bad..._ Tatsumi thought. _This music is stopping my body from moving the way I want it to. At this rate, I'm finished..._

Deidara threw the second axe blade at Tatsumi. He dodged again, making sure to stay out of its returning path, but the blade's movement curved and homed on him. "That thing's following me!?" Tatsumi said. "In that case..." He started to run at Deidara. "I'm going to make it hit you and let your own weapon destroy you!!"

"YOU IDIOT!!!" Brad screamed, appearing out of nowhere without his armor and punching Tatsumi away. Deidara caught his blade and looked confused.

"Your opponent was waiting for you ready to counter!" Brad continued to yell. "He would've killed you instantly if I didn't stop you! What were you planning to run carelessly right into his range!?"

"Bro..." Tatsumi whispered, holding his mouth, which was bleeding from Brad's punch.

"You're doing awfully well..." Said Deidara. "The music was supposed to debilitate everyone on the ship."

"It won't work on me." Said Brad. "Your friend's music isn't going to stop the burning blood that's flowing through my veins!"

Deidara looked down and noticed a small cut on Brad's leg. "You forced yourself to stay awake by hurting yourself?" He said. "What an interesting strategy."

"I am Brad of Night Raid." Said Brad. "But you can call me handsome."

"And I am the servant of mistress Esdeath, Deidara of the Trio of Beasts."

"Tatsumi..." Said Brad. "Watch me closely as I fight and memorize every detail." Once again he slammed his hand into the floor as the sword on his back transformed into a demonic armor covering his body.

"This guy's worth a lot of experience!!" Deidara laughed.

"I knew the real Night Raid was going to show up." Said River, who just arrived. "I have to back up Deidara!" He said, jumping in front of the armored Brad.

"Bro!!" Tatsumi screamed.

"He's distracted. I'll stab him in the back!" Said Nyau, jumping up behind Tatsumi with his knife. Both he and River were knocked back as Brad leaped into the air, punched Nyau's gut, kicked River away, and then summoned his spear and cut Deidara in half in one swift movement.

"Tatsumi..." Said Brad. "This is what I was talking about when I told you to be aware of your surroundings."


	13. Kill Esdeath's Army

_He killed the biggest enemy in one strike and still managed to counter the other two at the same time... All in one single moment!_ Tatsumi thought. "I knew you were strong, but I never imagined you'd be this powerful, bro!"

"I know, right??" Said Brad. "Back when I was still in the army, they called me the hundred-man slayer..."

"128 men when you first got the nickname, to be exact." Said River, as he got up barely damaged from Brad's kick. "Your specialty's always been taking down powerful individual fighters. That Teigu... That strength... It really is you, Brad!"

"General River." Said Brad sternly.

"I'm no longer a general." Said River. "I became mistress Esdeath's servant after she saved my life."

 _Is this the same guy bro just told me about!?_ Tatsumi said to himself.

"If we were still on the same side, we could've celebrated our reunion over a cup of aged wine." Said Brad, spinning his spear in place. "But now you're my enemy, and for the sake of this mission, I must destroy you!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." Said River. "I absolutely have to complete my mission... And I'll do so using the Teigu my master has given me!"

River removed the white glove covering his hand and took out a silver ring in the shape of a dragon before equipping it on his middle finger. Then, River raised his hand and the barrels surrounding the area burst open, each sprouting a pillar of water. "It is fortunate for my that our battle will happen here of all places!" Said River.

"So you can control water?" Brad grunted. "Fitting for someone whose master controls ice!"

"Mistress Esdeath can summon ice out of nothing." Said River. "While I would be helpless if not for the abundance of liquid around us. Such is the gap between the two of us! WATER BARRAGE CANNON!" He said, as the pillars of water from the barrels all fired themselves into Brad as jets.

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Said Brad, blocking the water currents with his spear and dispersing them.

Behind him, Nyau started to get up. "That guy's physical strength would be a challenge even for mistress Esdeath..." He murmured. "But in this canal, River has the advantage. Especially when me and my music are around!"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" Tatsumi yelled, running at Nyau with his sword. The young boy blocked the hit with his recorder.

"Did you really think I'd stand by and let you use your Teigu again?" Tatsumi grunted at him.

"You're such a nuisance..." Nyau complained.

"Looks like I'm back to full strength again." Said Tatsumi, backing away. Nyau took out his knife and tried to run at him, but Tatsumi blocked with his sword and kicked him away. Nyau braked with his knife and jumped back at Tatsumi with a flurry of kicks. _That guy's really fast..._ Tatsumi thought. _But..._ He got back up and started clashing blades with him. "Kurome's way faster than you!!"

"Don't make me laugh!" Nyau yelled back as he slashed at Tatsumi's arm, only for him to backflip away.

 _So that's the Trio of Beasts..._ Tatsumi thought. _Captain Ogra doesn't even compare to them._

 _That attack should've killed him..._ Nyau thought. _How is this guy so fast?_

At the same time, a huge tide of water rose out of the great canal, and its shape changed to resemble a gigantic snake with River standing on top of it. "Whoa!" Said Tatsumi. "Something amazing is definitely going on over there!"

"As long as there's water around, River will never lose!" Nyau boasted.

"It's already easy to see that my bro's going to win!" Said Tatsumi.

"No, River's going to win!" Nyau growled.

"No, bro will win!" Tatsumi yelled.

"This water pressure is going to crush you, Brad!" River yelled. "RAVINE SERPENT!!"

Instead of saying anything in response, Brad jumped with his spear out and sliced the serpent in half in one blow. River jumped off before Brad reached the top.

"I figured out you'd launch yourself at my snake headlong." Said River. "You know you'll have nowhere to go once it hits the ship. But you can't dodge in mid-air! MURKY LANCE!!" He yelled as the canal's water all around the ship formed into larger, more powerful spears of water and hit Brad, breaking part of his helmet.

"A LITTLE WATER IS NOT GOING TO EXTINGUISH MY PASSION!!!" Brad screamed, charging through the spears.

"That attack won't be enough to defeat you." Said River. "I already knew it won't. The two of us have tread countless battlefields together... Your strength. Your valor. I know them better than anyone. And it's for this reason that I'll destroy you with my most powerful attack! CONQUEST OF THE HEAVENLY WATER DRAGON!!!"

As he said that last sentence, the water around Brad formed into ten dragons which all attacked Brad at the same time. When the stream faded, Brad was gone.

"Is he dead...?" River said to himself.

"YOU CAN'T SAY THESE WORDS UNTIL THE ENEMY'S DEFEATED!!!" Screamed Brad, who appeared right in front of River with a damaged armor and attacked him with his spear.

"How long are you planning to drag this out!?" River yelled at him.

Nyau attempted to run at Brad from behind with his knife, but Brad kicked him away in an instant. Nyau, however, just rolled over and started laughing. "Too bad..." He whispered. "You just lost your chance to beat River."

"Bro..." Tatsumi whispered, laying on the ground and bleeding. "Forgive me, bro." He grunted. "I couldn't keep him occupied for long enough."

"Don't worry about it." Said Brad, as his armor faded back into a sword, revealing that his body was injured and bloody and his pompadour was disheveled. "Just the fact you're still alive after fighting him without a Teigu proves your worth."

"So you're that injured even with full armor..." Mused River. "Seems like you sustained so much damage that your armor gave way."

"Looks like it ends here." Said Brad. "Don't act so tough... I know your ears are bleeding, River."

The former general turned his gaze in surprise and saw that his ear was in fact bleeding.

"Your body got worn out from firing all of those high-energy attacks one after the other." Brad continued. "You aren't in any condition to use _your_ Teigu either."

"So you know." Said River. "Oh well. I'm sure I know what your answer will be, but I'm going to ask anyway. Brad... What would you think about becoming part of mistress Esdeath's army? With how strong you are, you could be a second-in-command in no time."

"I've no interest in going back to serve the Empire." Said Brad.

"Neither do I." Said River. "I no longer fight for the Empire, but for mistress Esdeath herself ever since she saved me. I can do as I please... I am feared by all - even those dirty bureaucrats who spread their filthy politics, consumed by their own power!"

No response.

"Come with me, Brad, and mistress Esdeath will absolve you of all your crimes!!"

"I refuse!" Said Brad, taking out a swiss army knife and combing his hair back into a pompadour. "Killing those politicians may be the easy way for you... But I am, as I've always been, an ally of my people! Esdeath's army is still subordinate to the Prime Minister, and I will never want anything to do with it!"

"An ally of your people?" River grunted. "I've never thought I'd hear a serial killer spout such lofty words. Didn't I always tell you to be humble?"

 _This isn't looking good..._ Nyau said to himself. _But all I need is to use my secret technique, and we'll win!_


	14. Kill the Inheritance

"Neither of us are in a condition to use our Teigu..." Brad concluded. "So then we'll have to settle this with only our skill with a blade!"

Instead of answering, River took out a small syringe full of green liquid and injected it into his wrist. "I apologize for having to do this..." He grunted. "But I know I've no way to beat you otherwise!"

"Bro!" Tatsumi cried. "This guy's really dangerous!!"

"I'm more than prepared to face him." Said Brad, drawing Incursio in sword form from his back. "Let's go!!"

Rushing at his former general with all his might, Brad clashed his sword against River, who clashed back with equal strength and determination. Every time the two blades collided, powerful shockwaves shook the whole deck.

 _How can he move so fast while he's so injured!?_ Tatsumi thought. _This is just insane!_

In the split second it took Tatsumi to formulate this sentence in his mind, Brad swung his sword decisively and left a large cut in River's stomach, causing the latter to growl in pain and vomit blood.

"YES!" Tatsumi rejoiced.

Suddenly, River grinned. "SECRET TECHNIQUE!" He shouted. "NEEDLE-POINT SPEARS OF BLOOD!!!" As he dropped to the floor, the blood from his wound instantly sprung up, forming into countless long needles that all lunged at Brad at once. Gasping, Brad immediately started to block the blades with his sword. Brad's arms and shoulders were pierced and he fell to his knees.

"BRO! Are you okay!?" Tatsumi cried out.

"Don't worry..." Said Brad. "I managed to avoid a fatal wound. He just used his own blood to attack me... His determination is amazing. But as soon as I saw his blood move, I figured out blood also contains water."

Tatsumi picked up the heavily wounded Brad. "I may have just gotten in the way... But both of us surviving against such a formidable opponent is a miracle."

While he said that, River attempted to get up and failed. "Brad..." He whispered weakly. "There's just one other thing I wanted to tell you... And that's how I joined the Trio of Beasts."

_I faced no trial after I was brought back to the Capital. I was simply jailed like a dog and the days until my execution were numbered..._

_But at the morning of the day I was to be killed, the Great General Esdeath walked into my cell by herself. "It would be a complete waste for someone as strong as you to get killed for no reason." She said... "You are exactly the kind of person my division of the army needs."  
_

_"This matters not." I told her. "Everybody thinks I'm a criminal. I'm not going to get out of this prison alive, let alone be let back into the military."_

_Then, she hit me in the head with her foot and said: "Don't give up so quickly. If I want you to return, then you **will** return. No one else can change that."_

_"But the Prime Minister was the one who -" I started._

_"The Prime Minister wouldn't even be in his position without my military power." She said. "And he would welcome you with open arms if it means he can increase it. Come to my side, River... And no one else will threaten you ever again."_

"To put it simply... I admired her." River finished. "That's all! I am someone who exists solely to serve mistress Esdeath... And I'll do so even if it costs me my life!"

While he said that, Brad growled in pain and puked blood. "BRO!!" Tatsumi screamed.

"The syringe I injected myself with wasn't just to strengthen myself..." River continued. "It was also an instant-kill poison. There is no antidote, and it was transferred into your body along with my attack!" He said, before collapsing again.

"As expected from my former superior." Said Brad. "I'm guessing this battle is a draw."

"WE HAVE TO GET YOU BACK TO THE BASE FOR MEDICAL ATTENTION!!" Tatsumi cried.

Brad tried to speak, failed, puked some more blood and then spoke again. "Tatsumi... We still haven't defeated all of them." Brad said, pointing a finger at Nyau, who stood on the sidelines and laughed.

"You really thought the Needle-Point Spears of Blood was our strongest trump card?" Nyau said quietly. "No, our strongest trump card... Is me." He said, playing a different song in his recorder. "Secret Technique: Advent of a Fierce God!"

As he said that, Nyau's muscles expanded massively, and he grew from a small short boy to a hulking giant taller than even Brad and Deidara in seconds. "He used his Teigu on himself to increase his own strength!?" Tatsumi said, shaking in fear.

"It's been a while since I used this form..." Said Nyau, his voice now manlier and lower-pitched. "But I'll carry out the duty mistress Esdeath laid upon me, no matter what!"

"This is bad!" Tatsumi screamed. "He was already on even grounds with me earlier... There's no way I can beat him on my own now!"

"Tatsumi!" Said Brad, holding out his sword. "There's one way you can beat him!"

"Is that..." Tatsumi started.

"Yes. It's Incursio's sealed form." Said Brad. "Use its power and destroy him!"

"You're giving me your Teigu!?" Tatsumi gasped.

"There's no way it's going to work!" Nyau laughed. "You're too weak to ever withstand the huge strain Incursio places on its wearer. If you try to use it, you'll die before I'd even have to hit you - but if you don't, I'll just pulverize your skull with one punch!"

Tatsumi growled and reached out to the sword on his own hip... Only for Brad to punch it out of his hand. "DON'T LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR ENEMY TELLS YOU, DUMBASS!" He yelled. "I've trained you first-hand! If you weren't strong enough to wield Incursio, you wouldn't have survived what I put you through!"

"Bro..." Tatsumi whispered.

"Let the canal's waves carry away my body and bury me at the depths of the ocean!" Brad exclaimed. "I don't want Kurome to keep me alive, for I now know my role is over! After our training, I know you have the potential to become everything I've ever been and more! NOW TAKE IT! MAKE IT YOURS!!!"

"If someone I respect says this to me, I'll have to live up to his expectations like a real man should!" Tatsumi exclaimed before grabbing Incursio, still in sword form, and getting into a fighting position.

"You're really going to try it?" Nyau said with a boring expression. "Alright then! I'll kill you before you can kill yourself!" He said, jumping at Tatsumi with his knife.

"SHOUT IT OUT WITH ALL THE RAGE IN YOUR SOUL, TATSUMI!!!" Brad exclaimed.

"INCURSIOOOOOOOO!!!!" Tatsumi screamed, as the sword in his hand opened, transforming into a giant dragon-like figure above Tatsumi's body.

"The armor's changing its shape to match Tatsumi's stature..." Brad whispered.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT ARMOR?!?!?" Nyau gasped. "IT'S LIKE THE TEIGU ITSELF IS ALIVE!"

"Tatsumi..." Brad whispered. "I see that the feelings that fuel your body can handle the power of Incursio!"

While he said that, the dragon-like figure above Tatsumi shrunk down, encasing Tatsumi's body and transforming back into the demonic armor that Brad used to wear. "Esdeath's group used Night Raid's name to fake out assassinations over and over..." Tatsumi said to himself. "IT'S TIME I'LL DELIVER JUDGEMENT UPON YOU!!"

"Are you that full of yourself?" Nyau grinned.

"This armor gives me all of my bro's strength." Said Tatsumi. "And with it, I'll defeat you!"

"GO AHEAD AND TRY!!" Nyau shouted as he rushed at Tatsumi with all his might. Before Nyau's hit could land, Tatsumi punched a clean hole in Nyau's stomach and sent him flying until he crashed into the side of the ship, dying before he even hit the wall.

"Amazing..." Brad whispered. "He already has this much strength now, even though he just put it on... I have no doubt he'll surpass me in no time. I knew I made the right choice... Tatsumi..." He whispered, before closing his eyes for the last time.

Tatsumi took off the armor and stood in front of Brad's body. "Bro..." He whispered. "I won thanks to you. But in the end, I couldn't save you... I'm sorry. But, I promise I'll get stronger until I can use Incursio as good as you did." He fell to his knees as his eyes filled up with tears. "BRO!!!" He cried out, as the water River flooded the ship with evaporated and turned into clouds, and in seconds, it started to rain.

Somewhere else far away from there, a young woman with long raven hair and a white coat, was munching on a strange-looking slab of meat while she was walking away from a few dead bodies laying on the ground. As she did, a female Imperial soldier wearing the same outfit as Esdeath's division of soldiers walked up to her with a scroll in hand. "You're Akame, right?" The young soldier said. "You've been requested to come back to the Capital."

The girl named Akame raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't I already supposed to do so when my assignment was over?"

"There's more than that." Said the soldier. "Apparently my superiors are forming a special high profile group and they specifically want you and five others to be in it."

"I... See." Akame thought for a moment and sighed. "I'll get there immediately then. I think I know what they're looking for..."


	15. Kill the Struggle

"Finally, I'm healed up!" Mein exclaimed, having made sure her arm is back to full function before she got herself dressed and ran into the training area. "Anyone here??" She exclaimed. "I need someone to spar with!!"

Already in the training area were Tatsumi and Lubbock doing pushups while Doya and Leone were sitting on their backs. "Howdy, partner!" Said Doya. "I see you still have some fight in ya!"

"What the hell are you guys doing...?" Said Mein.

"Just helping the boys out with their training." Said Leone.

"After I put on Incursio I realized it consumes enormous amounts of stamina to use." Tatsumi elaborated. "I need to push my body past its limit if I want to use it as well as bro did! As it is, I can barely turn invisible for a second before it wears off..."

"You don't usually train this hard, Lubbock..." Mein sighed.

"It's just that Tatsumi and I are the only living men in Night Raid." Lubbock said with a half-smile. "I thought I should start taking things a bit more seriously."

"I mean, that's cool, but you're barely doing half as many pushups as Tatsumi is doing..." Leone said snarkily.

 _And your body's so heavy that it's almost like you're made of solid steel..._ Lubbock wanted to say, but didn't.

"Oh look, you're all here!" Said Najenda as she walked in with Kurome next to her, and wearing a large bag on her back.

"Boss? What's with the getup?" Asked Tatsumi. "Are you heading to the main Revolutionary Army HQ?"

"Yeah, I still need to give them the Teigu you got from the Trio of Beasts." Said Najenda, sending a hand to Deidara's axe, which was on the floor next to her.

"Boss, that thing's unbelievably heavy..." Tatsumi muttered.

"I can handle it." Said the Boss, picking up the axe with her metal arm. "See? I can't wield it as a weapon, but just carrying it is no problem."

"Was the Boss always this strong?" Tatsumi whispered.

"Of course!" Lubbock whispered back. "You know she used to be a general?"

"I'm letting Kurome stay in charge while I'm away." Said the Boss. "Be sure to train as much as possible!"

"Got it." Said Kurome.

"ARE YOU REALLY LEAVING _HER_ IN CHARGE??" Tatsumi yelled. "SHE'S LIKE, 12!"

"Kurome takes her orders very seriously." Said Lubbock. "I'm sure there will be no problem."

"But the main reason I'm going to HQ is securing a couple new members." Said the Boss. "I hope they have enough talented people to replenish our fighting strength, but I won't hold my breath."

"I'm sorry..." Tatsumi said coldly. "I was just too weak."

Najenda lit up a cigarette. "You were fighting the Trio of Beasts, the strongest shocktroops in Esdeath's forces." Said Najenda. "You managed to kill all three of them and secure their Teigu. Esdeath's strength has no equal, but you just sent a heavy blow to her whole army. This is going to do much to allay the concerns over when the revolution will take place. You not only saved the lives of the civilians on the ship, but also those of thousands of Revolutionary Army soldiers at the same time. You **are** strong, Tatsumi. And you have succeeded."

"I didn't want to tell you before cause I didn't want to inflate your ego..." Leone started. "But a while back, Brad told me this..."

_"Tatsumi's still green and wet behind the ears... But I know that kid's going to become extremely powerful. If he trains enough, he'll be so strong that he'll leave me in the dust. I look forward to see it."_

"Bro -" Tatsumi dropped to his knees, tears in his eyes.

"Be proud of yourself, Tatsumi, and live on." Said the Boss. "If you want to honor Brad, all you have to do is become the man he wanted you to be."

"River... Nyau... Deidara..." Esdeath whispered, standing over three gravestones. "You've lost because you were weak. It's only natural for the weak to be destroyed... But even still, you were my most valuable subordinates. I swear that I'll take vengeance on those who killed you."

After this, she slowly walked back to the Minister's office. "I heard the new squad is arriving today?" She asked, not letting a hint of regret be felt in her voice.

"They've all been gathered." Said the Minister. "Most of them seem to be of low status, but clearly capable. And most of them have a few... Quirks, that you'll have to deal with. Sorry about that."

 _I still know nothing of those six Teigu users..._ Esdeath thought to herself as she was leaving. _But I'll treasure them as much as I've treasured you, and I'll protect them with my life._

 _My name is Wave._ A black-haired young man in a blue jacket said to himself as he entered the Capital main street. _For years I've fought at the Imperial navy as a true man of the sea... But right now, I'm on my way to join a special force unit that the Empire's put together. It's like a promotion... This is my first time in the city, so I want to make a flashy appearance. I put on my best suit just to look cooler! In my hometown, everyone admired me, and I've carried the best assortment of seafood my mother taught me to make... But for some reason, I get the feeling that people are giving me furtive glances... Maybe I did something improper? No matter that. I'm a hero who made a living fighting sea monsters and pirates! I can't let these little things bother me!_

After a while, Wave arrived at a large building in the palace ground. "And here we are!" He said. "I need to make a smooth entrance at the meeting place - Those people are going to be my new teammates! First impressions are crucial."

After saying that, Wave opened the door and exclaimed: "Good afternoon, everyone! I'm Wave of the Imperial na-"

Wave stopped himself after seeing there was no one else in the room except for a muscular man with a bizarre white mask covering his face. "Sorry, wrong room!" He said, exiting and closing the door. "Did I accidentally go to a torture chamber? That's my first time here... The meeting place should be at the conference room which is... Right here." He said, checking the sign. "That guy's actually one of my teammates!? What the hell did I just walk into? I've seen pirates that look more normal than this guy! Well, I gotta stay positive and conduct myself well." He said, walking into the room again. "Umm, good afternoon!" He said, slowly walking into the room and taking a seat next to the masked man, who said nothing and simply looked at him in silence.

 _What's with this guy?_ Wave thought. _He's just been staring at me this whole time!_

After a while, the door opened again, and a black-haired young woman in a white coat slowly walked in. "Hello." She said in a monotone voice as she quietly took a seat across from Wave.

"Uh, hey!" Said Wave. "Sooo, you're one of the Teigu users that were summoned? Nice to meet you! I'm Wave."

"Yes." Said the black-haired girl. "My name is Akame."

A moment of awkward silence followed. _Okay. What should I say?_ Wave thought to himself. _This girl seems like the quiet type, but at least she -_

Suddenly, the door was opened again in a rather flamboyant manner by a girl about Wave's age with auburn hair reaching nearly to the floor, with a pair of mechanical arms and a small cartoonish-looking dog standing next to her. "Hello, everyone!" The girl exclaimed. "I am the former captain of the Imperial police force, Seryu the Ubiquitous!"

 _Oh, great, this one seems normal too -_ Wave started before Seryu started to scatter rose petals around the area from her pockets before kneeling next to the path of roses she just made. "Your entrance is ready, master Stylish!" She exclaimed.

Immediately after that, a man in a white coat and glasses with black hair with gray streaks walked in. "First impressions are important!" He exclaimed. "And to someone like me, nothing matters more than _style_!"

 _And now there's a crazy homo here too!?_ Wave thought.

"Oh, dear..." The man named Stylish said as he looked at Wave. "I can already tell you're a country boy, but you are definitely good-looking. I'm sure we can get along just great."

 _And now he's taking a liking to me..._ Wave was mentally screaming.

Lastly, a blonde young man in a tunic and wing-shaped earrings walked into the room. "Good afternoon", he said quietly. "Seems like I'm the last to arrive. Hopefully I'm not late."

"Hey..." Wave said quietly. "My name is Wave. Nice to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ran." Said the blonde.

 _So, two of five..._ Wave thought. _Maybe this isn't so bad._

While they were talking, the man in the white mask stood up. "Uh... I got some tea, in case anyone's interested." He said, taking out a round metal tray with five tea cups in a shape resembling waste barrels on it. "I apologize." He said quietly. "I haven't greeted any of you even though it's the first time we meet... See, I have a fear of strangers. I'm probably the oldest person here, and yet here I am shying away from conversation like a child! My name is Borris of the incineration squad. I hope we can all get along as a band of Teigu-wielding heroes!"

 _He looks like that, and he's afraid of strangers?_ Wave thought.

"The incineration squad, eh?" Stylish said. "A unit whose purpose is to stylishly burn down anything in their way, be it a wall or a man. I see... That's why he looks like **that**. Definitely not my type..."

Suddenly, the door opened and a tall woman with long blue hair and a white mask walked in.

"Uhh, who's that...?" Wave asked.

"I DON'T RECOGNIZE ANY OF YOU!" Said the mysterious woman. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT'RE YOU DOING IN THIS ROOM!?"

"We were called here for a special assignme-" Wave started, before the newcomer kicked him in the face and launched him into the wall. Everyone else stood up.

"Your opponents will be professional serial killers. You must keep your guard at all times!" The masked woman exclaimed, kicking Ran, who already assumed a fighting stance and was thus knocked away a far smaller distance.

While she looked at him, Seryu jumped at her from behind with Coro, only for the newcomer to grab her mechanical arm and slam her into the ground. "You try to hit me from behind, but you're practically reeking with killing intent!"

Akame drew a sword from a sheath on her hip and ran at the masked figure, who dodged to the side and countered with a chop to her back. Then, she took off her mask and revealed her beautiful face. "So this is the Demon Blade Murasame... It's a shame I can't taste its sharpness first-hand."

"You're... General Esdeath?!" Borris gasped.

"Man, that hurt..." Said Wave as he was getting up. _So the boss is also crazy!?_

"I bet my little game caught you by surprise." Said Esdeath a while later, walking down the palace grounds with her group members behind her in uniforms. "I find it much more exciting than the usual, droll welcoming reception. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I'm used to getting it rough." Wave admitted.

"It was a good lesson, General!" Said Seryu.

"Alright then!" Said Esdeath, tipping her hat. "I say we throw a party after our audience with his majesty."

"Wait, we're going to meet with the Emperor!?" Wave gasped. "This is only the first day!"

"I like to get the annoying things out of the way first." Esdeath nonchalantly said. "You'd rather handle your self-introductions next time, wouldn't you?"

"Next time?" Wave asked.

"Pardon me, mistress Esdeath... But shouldn't we decide on a name for our team first?" Stylish asked.

"Hmm..." Said Esdeath. "We are a unique force within the military, organized and tasked to mercilessly hunt down and exterminate the Empire's most vile enemies. Therefore, from now on we shalt be known as the Jägers!"


	16. Kill the Battle Mania

_Is that an Evil Bird, a special-class monster that eats bears as a snack!?_

When Wave was chosen for the new squadron in the Capital, he knew he had to bring every skill he had at his disposal. Fighting was the one thing everyone in the team could do, but Wave hoped his masterful seafood memento would impress his new brothers at arms.

That hope was crushed to tiny pieces once Akame took charge of cooking.

Despite her slim appearance, Akame had the appetite of a giant monster and an amount of cooking skill that completely dwarfed Wave's. While the young marine's seafood recipes were no challenge for her, Akame's specialty seemed to be cooking extraordinarily powerful monsters **which she hunted by herself**. With Akame on the team, Wave was reduced to a sous-chef with barely any work left for him.

As a result, Akame could take Wave's idea to make a big welcoming dinner for the six-man band and execute it ten times over. While she, Wave and Borris were preparing it, Seryu, Ran, and Esdeath were waiting at the table. Dr. Stylish was standing at the side of the room and watching.

"So, General..." Seryu asked. "What have you been doing in your spare time?"

"Mostly hunting and torturing prisoners." Esdeath said nonchalantly. "Otherwise, I study."

"Dr. Stylish?" Asked Ran. "Is there a reason you're standing at the side instead of sitting with us?"

"I'm terribly sorry..." Said the doctor. "I don't think I'd be able to participate in your welcoming dinner; for you see, I don't think I can bring myself to eat the meat of these animals that Akame worked so hard to slay."

" **You** have moral qualms against eating meat?" Esdeath asked him in a slight surprise.

"To put it simply... I do not want such strong, beautiful and _stylish_ beasts to go to waste." The doctor said in a half-lamenting, half-playful tone.

At another part of the Capital, Tatsumi discreetly walked into a small book store near a town square. Lubbock was waiting for him outside. The two entered the store, and Lubbock opened a secret crawlspace behind his desk.

"This place is really giving off the feeling of a secret base!" Said Tatsumi, impressed, as he entered the crawlspace and started to descend the stairs.

"Thanks!" Said Lubbock. "I'm quite proud of it."

"Did you **build** this?" Tatsumi questioned.

"HEY THEREEEEE~!" Said Leone, sitting inside next to a table full of empty bottles. "Welcome to our Capital hideout!"

"Big sister, you look a little too relaxed..." Said Tatsumi.

"Alright." Said Lubbock, placing a wanted poster at the table with Mein drawn on it. "After the incident with the police captain, Mein started to appear on wanted posters - which means the three of us are the only living members of Night Raid who can afford to be seen in public."

"A bunch of people saw my face when I was on the ship..." Said Tatsumi. "I was worried it might be dangerous if I went out in the open."

"But nobody recognized you while you were walking through town. I'm pretty sure you're good." Said Lubbock.

"Speaking of the city..." Said Tatsumi. "Everyone's recently started to talk about some group called the Jägers."

"It's a special unit Esdeath is leading directly." Said Lubbock. "She's one of the most dangerous people in the Capital."

"Really? How dangerous could she be?" Asked Tatsumi.

"That's right, you haven't heard." Said Lubbock.

_A couple years ago, several savage tribes in the South-West joined forces against the Empire's tyrannical rule. In response, the Empire sent a military force to go out and vanquish them. The tribes had approximately 10,000 soldiers and the Empire sent 120,000 to quell them. The result of this fight was obvious from the start..._ _But the Empire's far-off borders were hell for the soldiers that were raised in the comfortable Capital. Poisonous bogs and large rivers of mud were impeding their advances, swarms of venomous bugs and diseases had a devastating effect on the troop morale, and they were being relentlessly assaulted by wild animals and monsters. Facing nature's fury, the expeditionary force had all but given up, and the tribes who knew the land well used it to conduct highly effective hit-and-run attacks on their forces. The Imperial army was too weak to put up a fight, and whatever survivors of the journey were swiftly destroyed._

_Realizing the size of the threat, the Empire dispatched the young but very capable generals Najenda and Esdeath to reinforce the army. Be it wild animals, swarms of insects and even entire rivers, every obstacle in Esdeath's way was destroyed in the blink of an eye. The enemy tribes that 120,000 soldiers were helpless against were obliterated in seconds by Najenda and Esdeath's armies. And after the enemy was destroyed, Esdeath decided to reward her soldiers... By allowing her to utterly destroy the town that was the enemy's base of operation. Men and women and little children were all mercilessly slaughtered by Esdeath's soldiers - and she had the leaders of the rebelling tribes watch, tied up and unable to do anything._

_"Do you see your homes being ravaged?" She said to them. "I want you to watch this real good."_

_"Why won't you just kill us already?!" They shouted at her._

_"To make an example out of you." She said to them. "I will show the world what happens to everyone who attempts to destroy the Empire."_

"And just like that... Esdeath and her Trio of Beasts took the tribe leaders alive to the Capital and brutally tortured them until they died." Lubbock finished.

"But isn't it foolish to make it known that it happened?" Tatsumi questioned. "It would just make everyone hate them, like fanning a smoldering coal into a fire!"

"This is exactly what Esdeath wanted." Said Lubbock. "She **wants** more rebellions to happen, because she wants nothing more than to crush them in battles."

"That's insane!" Tatsumi declared.

"And it was definitely not a good idea to mess with her." Said Leone. "If I were to even think of taking Esdeath down while I was sent after her, I'd just be another body in a pile of thousands."

"I never thought I'd hear you say that about anyone, big sister..." Said Tatsumi.

"Neither did I." Said Leone. "But sometimes, a world is so fucked up that it surprises even me."

At the same time, a figure in a hood hopped on top of the book store without making a sound, and then hopped into another building, then another, in the direction of the palace. "So the team of six is assembled?" The figure whispered. "And _he_ made it in. Such a waste... Now preserving his legacy will become yet another thing that depends on me."


	17. Kill the Bandits

"Okay, everyone!" Esdeath announced. "Our first job assignment is starting now!"

Taking out a map and a pencil, she pointed out at one part of the map. "We've come to learn about a fortress inhabited by a group of bandits near lake Gyogan."

"Of course!" Said Seryu, remembering the name from her days in the police. "We've long suspected the presence of these shameful evildoers on the outskirts of the Capital!"

Esdeath nodded. "Night Raid will have to wait a little more. For now, we'll have to settle for the enemies we can see."

"And what should we do if the enemy surrenders?" Asked Borris.

"Surrendering is for the weak." Scoffed Esdeath. "There's no use in sparing them if they surrender, because they'll die out anyway."

"Ahahahaha..." Seryu giggled. "Now I can slaughter evildoers before they have a chance to commit evil... I'm truly glad to be part of this group."

"You may exterminate them to your heart's content." Esdeath reassured her.

"Thank you, mistress." Said Seryu, blushing.

 _This girl's weirder than I thought..._ Wave said to himself.

"There's one more thing I have to say before we head out." Said Esdeath. "Each one of you will be required to eliminate dozens of people. From now onwards this will be the case in most missions. Are you all fully prepared for that?"

"I'm a man of war." Said Borris. "Even if it means to take another's life, I will follow my orders."

"Likewise." Said Akame. "I carry out my orders without a second thought. I always have and always will."

"I owed my spot at the navy to one great man's patonage." Said Wave. "If I were to ask how to repay his favor, He'd always tell me... _Just give your all to defending your country. That's all._ I have to do this, even if it costs me my life!"

"I must prove my own worth in order to fulfill my wishes." Said Ran. "Nothing is going to stop me from achieving them, even if I have to commit atrocities."

"And you, doctor?" Esdeath looked over at Stylish.

"I've always been guided by one thing..." Said the doctor. "That one thing is my pursuit of style. Do you understand it?"

"Not at all." Said Esdeath with a straight face.

"From the moment I saw you, mistress Esdeath... I knew it." Stylish elaborated. "Your unfathomable strength, your ice-cold cruelty... You're like a goddess having descended from Heaven! Your style is without equal, and I want nothing more than to stand by your side!"

"I see that none of you have any doubts." Said Esdeath. "And that is good. Now, let's head out there!"

Hours later, the Jägers were watching over a large fortress, guarded by masked bandits, from the swamps surrounding it.

"I've memorized the layout of the area and the enemy's positions." Said Ran. "Now then, what kind of strategy should we use?"

"Justice demands that we fight fair and square." Said Seryu. "Let's strike from the front!"

Esdeath was sitting alone on the top of a hill, with her subordinates gathering underneath, and watching. "This would be the perfect spot to observe all of their fighting abilities." She whispered.

"THERE'S A RAID!" Said one of the guard. "EVERYONE, SCRAMBLE!!"

The fortress' gates opened, and a large group of armed bandits came to face the Jägers. "Did you guys even know where you were when you came here!?" One of them said. "You've got some nerve trying to walk up the front door! Did you really think you could come outta here alive!?"

Another bandit looked over at Akame and Seryu. "They've got some real cuties with them though. I'm gonna have some fun with them when we're back at the base..."

"Doctor Stylish and I are going to start by combining our power to clear a path." Said Seryu. "Coro, number five!"

Hekatonkheires responded by enlarging itself and biting into Seryu's mechanical arm. "Losing my arms only made me stronger." She said to herself. "All it did was give master Stylish a chance to give me a new weapon..." Coro released her arm, revealing it was replaced with a giant drill-like weapon. "Heavenly Judgement of the Ten Kings. Number five: Enma's Spear of Justice!" She exclaimed, ramming the drill into the crowd and skewering bandits to pieces left and right.

"What the hell is that thi-" one of the bandits started, before Coro bit off his arm and half his torso.

"These are bad news! We gotta get the boss!" Said another bandit while a few others ran back into the gate.

"Number seven!" Seryu exclaimed, replacing her arm with a large anti-tank sniper rifle. "Taizan's Cannon of Justice!" She fired a single bullet, pulverizing the gate along with the two bandits trying to reach it.

"This looks like one destructive Teigu..." Ran mused.

"With that strength, I feel like she could take them all out herself." Said Wave.

"I can assure you, that is no Teigu." Said Stylish. "These are weapons I made myself using my own Teigu... The Graceful Hands of God, Perfector!" He pointed at his gloves. "It increases my hands' speed and percision hundreds fold - truly the most stylish of all Teigu! Its power allows me to heal any wound, no matter how severe, and restore you to full capacity - and maybe give your body a few enhancements while I'm at it."

"I would rather _not_ have weapons inserted into my body, thank you." Said Ran.

"I'm glad we have someone to patch us up..." Said Wave. "But if all you have is a support-type Teigu, you won't be able to defend yourself."

"WRONG!" Said Stylish extravagantly. "Behold, my enhanced troops!"

Stylish snapped his fingers, and a group of men and women with blank white masks, revealing black outfits and many sutures on their skin appeared from behind the shadows and under the ground in the blink of an eye.

"These are my personal foot soldiers!" Stylish explained. "Using my Teigu, I performed surgeries that enhanced their bodies. In a game of Chess, these would be my pawns!"

"So you can create your own personal army?" Said Borris in awe. "This is a very useful Teigu."

"Creating stylish weapons with power rivaling a Teigu has always been my greatest ambition!" Said Stylish.

"Uh..." Said Ran. "Akame already went through the gate while you were talking."

"She should learn to start listening when people are speaking!" Said Stylish in anger.

Beyond the gate, Akame was taking her time striking down bandits one by one. "This girl may be cute, but she's extremely powerful..." One of them said. Seconds later, he and the entire group around him were cut into little pieces.

Akame then nonchalantly sheathed her sword. "With enemies this weak, I don't even need my ability to kill them in one strike."

While she was talking, a bandit who was hiding behind a wall attempted to hit her from behind with a gun, only for Wave to appear behind him and kick him in the face, hurling the bandit at Akame's feet. "No need to thank me." He said.

"Correct." Said Akame. "I knew he was there."

"FOR REAL!?" Asked Wave.

Outside, several archers were aiming their bows at Borris, who was rushing towards them. "RIDDLE HIM WITH HOLES!" One of them commanded. Arrows surrounded Borris like rain, but he simply drew a demonic flamethrower from his back and burned the arrows to ash. Even their metal heads melted.

"This is my Teigu... Purgatory's Gateway: Rubicante!" Borris exclaimed. "This... Is also part of the job." Then, he fired a massive blazing wave that burned the archers to a crisp. One of them was able to escape with only a few small flames clinging to his body. He ran to find a bucket of water to extinguish them, but it had no effect. "These flames are unnatural!" He cried. "Even with water, they won't go out!" He said as the fire covered his body and burned him to ash.

"This ain't no joke..." Said one of the bandits after witnessing his friend being consumed by flames. "I've gotta get the hell outta this place!" He, along with a few others, began to run away, only for a few feathers to pierce their body like bullets. "What the -" A dying bandit looked up to see Ran, wearing two discs on his back that protruded angelic white wings. "Is that... An angel?" He whispered.

"Not a single one of you can be allowed to escape." Ran concluded, firing several more feathers and killing the wounded bandits.

Hidden behind the same trees where Stylish's pawns were hiding seconds before, the figure with the black-and-white mask was watching. "That one needed a Teigu to create these modified humans after all?" It whispered. "I've seen people make better weapons with just their own skill. Perfector is just a crutch he's using to compensate for his natural lack of abilities... But the creatures he made with it are far, _far_ more interesting."


	18. Kill the Crisis

"Yo, Akame." Said Wave. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah." Said Akame, already fully dressed as she sat near the table eating a few small slabs of meat.

"Uh... I thought we were all out of food after yesterday's dinner?" Wave asked, confused.

Akame sighed. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Asked Wave.

"Whenever you're talking to me, you feel like something is wrong. I can tell from your expression."

"It's - uh..." Wave stumbled for a moment. "It's just how you look kind of like that girl from the wanted posters - Kurome... Even the name is similar."

"Of course I do. She's my sister."

"How did that even happen!?" Wave said in utter shock.

"You're asking why she's on the wanted posters and I'm in here?" Said Akame. "You have the bandits that killed Seryu's father to thank for that. They captured _both_ of us years ago and thought they could convince us to change our alliances and join the Revolutionary Army. They failed... But then the Revolutionary Army itself stepped in and captured her again. Kurome is one of the most skilled fighters I know... But she's still an impressionable child who doesn't understand nuance. We both know the Empire has a lot of problems... But they drilled it into her head that it makes it right to burn the whole country to the ground. She's failed to question whether the Revolutionary Army itself is any better, or if their motivations are really as pure as they make them out to be, rather than just trying to take control of the Empire for themselves."

Suddenly, the door slammed open. "Okay, everyone!" Said Esdeath. "For the next few days, the three of us be hunting at Mt. Fake! It's a perfect place for an ambush, so you must keep your eyes open!"

"Copy that!" Said Wave.

"We'll start off looking for Tree Beasts until evening." Esdeath continued. "Once we get there, the two of you will advance west and I will go east by myself."

"...I know all about the dangerous monsters that appear at the sea..." Said Wave hours later. "But I'm completely clueless about those at the mountains."

"A lot of them use camouflage to get you by surprise." Akame remarked. "Even a simple rock in the path could be your next opponent."

"Got it." Said Wave. He wasn't very tired, but Akame was even less tired than he was.

"WATCH OUT!!" Said Akame, swinging her sword to cut a branch-like tendril which was about to impale Wave. The Tree Beast behind the two shrieked in pain before collapsing lifeless on the ground.

"You saved my life. I owe you one!" Said Wave.

"Don't worry about it." Said Akame. "There's more of them coming!"

In the blink of an eye, Wave and Akame were standing back to back, surrounded by monsters in the form of demonic trees and rocks. "Looks like they're attacking in a group!" Said Wave. "They don't look as tasty as the ones I know from the sea."

"These monsters are weak, but they come in great numbers." Said Akame.

"Alright then!" Wave exclaimed. "Let's clean out the area and turn them into firewood!"

Wave drew his own sword, a black and blue cutlass, and the two rushed into the swarm of monsters, destroying them all in seconds. "Alright, I'm done!" Said Wave. "And it looks like you're finished as well, right, Akame?"

Akame nodded. "We just made a lot of noise. It's almost guaranteed that we've attracted more powerful monsters already."

"We better be on the lookout then." Grunted Wave as they proceeded. Shortly afterwards, they noticed several more dry trees ahead of them.

"Looks like you were right." Said Wave. "I wish I'd have a bit more time to rest, but -"

Suddenly, the hiding Tree Beasts were all burned to a crisp as a huge, demonic-looking monster landed on top of them from above - a monstrous red-skinned humanoid with overgrown muscles, a pair of sharp horns and large wings, its body surrounded in a flaming aura. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING!?!" Wave gasped.

"Impossible..." Akame whispered. "That's a Balur King. These monsters were extinct before the Teigu were even made!"

"How do you know that!?" Asked Wave.

"I was tasked with tracking down a cult that managed to find an egg of a Balur King in order to resurrect it. Before I got there, the egg was already destroyed by... Night Raid!-" Before she could continue, the Balur King summoned a whip of flames in its hand, swiped it and threw Akame off the side of the mountain.

"AKAME!!" Wave screamed. "I don't know what this monster is capable of, but there's no way I'm backing down now! GRAND CHARIOT!!!" He shouted out as his cutlass expanded, engulfing his body and turning into a black armor. Summoning a blue spear in his hand, Wave rushed at the Balur King, who summoned a sword made of lightning in its other hand and blocked Wave's spear attack. Without flinching, Wave leaped forward and kicked the Balur King in the face, pushing it away. The monster screamed and flew back at Wave, pushing him downwards with a swing of its whip...

When suddenly, it collapsed as it was cut in the back. Black runes spread across the Baldur King's body as it collapsed, falling off the mountain as its body exploded into flames in the air. Akame appeared behind it, uninjured. "That... Is not a Teigu." She said, returning her sword to its sheath.

"Looks like the Jägers took down our allies at lake Gyogan." Said Lubbock, having returned from a short trip to the Capital.

"Seriously, they're _all_ Teigu users?" Asked Leone. "Damn, that's scary..."

"There was another thing I noticed..." Said Lubbock, turning to Kurome. "One of them is named Akame. And she looks just like an older version of you."

"Leone told me you had an older sister." Said Tatsumi. "That one is her, isn't she?"

"Yes." Kurome said coldly. "I haven't seen her once since I left the Empire. Even before that, she was more doubtful of their actions than I was. But I know I can't simply _convince_ her to defect... Especially not now that she's in line with Esdeath. That's why I made this promise to myself... That I will take my sister's body for myself, and make her the centerpiece of my theater of puppets."

"The Jägers made sure there are no survivors." Sheele tried to get the conversation back on topic. "So even now that they're up and active, we barely know anything about what they're capable of."

"Speaking of which..." Said Tatsumi. "Do you know anything about the Teigu that Akame has?"

"Her Teigu is the exact opposite of my own..." Said Kurome. "The one-cut killer, Murasame. Whereas my Teigu has the power to bring the dead back to life, hers has the power to bring death to every living thing. Its blade contains a deadly venom that kills anything it cuts."

"Sounds like she's an opponent we should be wary of." Said Tatsumi. "And I bet the rest are no pushovers either. I have a feeling that things are going to get a lot harder from now on..."

"What do you mean by _not a Teigu_?" Asked Wave, a little angry.

"Exactly what I said." Akame replied. "Your Grand Chariot is not a Teigu. It's a Shingu."

"The hell's a Shingu?" Wave grunted.

"You heard the story of how the Teigu were created, right, Wave?" Asked Akame.

"Of course!" Wave answered. "I've heard how Grand Chariot was created as well. Incursio, the weapon used by the hundred-man slayer Brad, was merely a prototype of my -"

"Wrong." Akame said plainly. "There is no such as thing as a prototype Teigu. All 48 Teigu were created together, by the same people at the same time. There could be no earlier or later versions of a Teigu, and there **certainly** couldn't be a prototype and completed version that are both considered a Teigu. I've seen Incursio and its wielder in action. Not only does its strength and speed far surpass Grand Chariot, it also has the power to constantly evolve and turn itself invisible, whereas your Grand Chariot doesn't have any ability that Incursio lacks."

"What do you think it is then?" Asked Wave.

"A Shingu." Akame said again. "A weapon that was created 400 years ago, by an Emperor who wanted to craft his own weapons that surpassed the Teigu. While the resulting weapons were far above the strength of any normal person, they held no candle against a real Teigu, and were deemed a failure. Some Shingu were made specifically as a successor and a superior version of an existing Teigu, only to end up being a weaker version of itself. One of these was made after my Murasame, one after mistress Esdeath's Demonic Extract... And one was made after Incursio."

"Are you saying my armor is a failed counterfeit Teigu!?" Wave yelled in anger. "Why not just tell me directly that I'm too weak to be a Jäger!?"

"Because you're not." Akame's tone of voice changed. "Teigu or Shingu, what matters most in a fight is your own strength and skill. Wave... Even though you wield an inferior copy of a Teigu, I can tell that your own strength more than makes up for it. You, not your Shingu, has the potential to reach the realm of Teigu. I've seen this potential with my own eyes. And considering the fact you're still here, I'm sure mistress Esdeath has seen it too."

Wave's face was starting to grow red; he noticed a feint blush on Akame's face as well. Looking up to the sky, he also noticed that the sun was setting.

"It's already evening..." Akame said quietly. "We should head back and regroup."

Back at the Capital, Doctor Stylish was heading out of the Imperial palace, the Perfector gloves present on his hands. "I was worried that with all this Jägers work, I would have no time to tend for my precious test subjects... Good to know I was wrong."

Not long after, he arrived at a small workshop near main street. Well, it **looked** small on the surface - most of his lab was hidden underground.

However, in the entrance to Stylish's lab was a hooded figure wearing a mask on its face. A mask that was half-black, half-white. It looked like it was awaiting him.

"And you are?" He asked, unamused.

"Who am I matters not." The figure replies, in a voice so quiet that Stylish couldn't tell if they're male or female. "I've been sent here in order to take a sample from every one of your creations - from the foot soldiers to the trump cards."

"And what makes you think I'd be willing to give that all away, especially to a stranger?" Stylish scoffed.

"I've been sent here by a fellow scientist who wants you to share your work with them." The figure replied. "They knew you aren't going to give this information for free, but I'm capable of providing you with vital knowledge of my own in return."

"And what is this knowledge, if I may ask?"

"The location of Night Raid's headquarters."


	19. Kill the Intruders

"I'm tired..." Whispered Leone, who didn't actually look tired. "I think I'm gonna go wash my face." She slowly walked out of the lounge and into the hot tub outside. She was about to reach out to the water when suddenly, a man in a black hat emerged from inside the hot tub and threw a knife at Leone's forehead. He jumped out of the water and revealed his black trousers and an open coat revealing a pale chest covered in stitches. "Kihihi..." He laughed. "I've done it, master Stylish! I, Trome, took down one of Night Raid's members! And now, I shall continue plucking out the rest!"

At the forest around the base, Stylish himself was surrounded by three figures: A toned man with a white mask and an oversized nose, a muscular blonde man with a black suit, a hat and a domino mask, and a short green-haired woman with gigantic ears.

"Trome already took one down, master Stylish." Said the giant-eared woman.

"Well done." Said Stylish. "As expected of a knight who charges into enemy territory! Now then, let us begin our mission, team Stylish!"

As he said that, numerous modified humans, including the blank-masked ones he summoned in lake Gyogan, emerged from the forest and charged towards the base. "And remember!" Stylish continued. "Make sure to harm the bodies as little as possible and bring them back to me! I will reward anyone who can bring one of them alive!!"

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Said the muscular man. "We probably should've told mistress Esdeath where we are leaving before going in on our own."

"That'd be too much of a waste." Said Stylish. "I could learn so much from experimenting on Night Raid and their Teigu, so I'd rather hog them all for myself!"

"Is that why you haven't brought Seryu either?" Asked the long-nose man.

"Even if I told her not to tell the captain, she probably wouldn't listen." Said Stylish. "But as long as I have all of you, I can still defeat them."

"Looks like there's a whole army out here!" Lubbock said in terror, checking on the devices on the back of his hands. "How did they find out where we are!?"

Suddenly, the ceiling burst open and a modified human in a white mask jumped into the room. Lubbock dodged as he swiped a clawed hand at him and wrapped some strings around his neck, snapping it.

"This is bad..." Lubbock said. "I gotta find the others!"

Just then, he noticed his opponent was still alive. It rushed at him again and slashed at his chest.

"We got another one down!" The giant ear woman cheered.

"My enhanced soldiers are tough and persistent." Stylish gloated. "They are all free from the limitations of human beings!"

Suddenly. Stylish's minion gasped.

"Is something wrong, Mimi?" Stylish asked.

"It seems like Night Raid are no less persistent."

Back in the base, Lubbock took off his torn shirt, revealing his chest was covered in wires. "There are many ways I can use my strings!" He said. "For example..." He started weaving rapidly with the devices on his hands, forming a spear. "If you condense a lot of them together, you can even create a weapon!" He said, impaling the modified human. "I own a book store." Lubbock said. "It's full of manga books I can read for ideas on how to use my strings."

Suddenly, another modified human appeared behind Lubbock. "There's another one??" He panicked. Then, several more foot soldiers appeared behind it. "I'd rather avoid fighting this many of you at once. Time to go!" He said, running away as the soldiers crawled after him. "They're fast!" He complained, when suddenly his enemies began to get hit by bullets. "Get behind me!" Said Doya. " **Prometheus**!!!" She exclaimed before firing several more bullets which began to zigzag in their flight, taking multiple modified humans with each shot.

"Not bad!" Said Lubbock, wiping his sweat. Suddenly, a man in an elongated hat and blue changshan entered the room, behind him were two tall and muscular men with metal masks. "Even though we're enemies, I can't help but admire your strength." Said the man in the front quietly.

"Oh gods, not another one!" Lubbock complained.

"My name is Toby." The man in the hat continued. "I've been sent here to defeat Kurome."

"You're gonna have to get through me, first!" Said Doya.

"As you wish." Said Toby, sprouting blades from his forearms and feet as he began to jump over walls towards Doya. The gunslinger narrowly dodged as Woru appeared in front of her, blocking Toby's foot blade with his shield. As he jumped back, Doya shot Toby in his chest.

Without flinching, Toby landed behind Woru. He tore off his gloves, revealing both his hands were mechanical.

"Doya!!" Lubbock started to run towards his two allies, but the two men in metal masks blocked his path. "Get out of my way!" He said in anger.

As numerous foot soldiers were gathering in front of the base, Tatsumi broke out of its wall with Incursio covering his body and charged at them, killing a modified human with each punch and kick.

"He's out, he's out!" Tatsumi heard someone laughing. A heavily muscular man with a green coat and two mechanical hands walked out of the woods to face him. "Greetings, armored warrior!" He said. "I've been sent here to fight you."

"Let's see you try!" Said Tatsumi in anger as he drew his sword, rushing at the muscle man and attempting to strike his chest. The man blocked the hit with his arms, and Tatsumi's sword shattered. The man laughed and punched Tatsumi, launching him into the base's wall.

"Kaku is facing Incursio, just as planned." Said Mimi. "However, Toby is having trouble reaching Yatsufusa."

"I've been careful to pit each fighter against a foe who can exploit their weaknesses." Said Stylish.

"We're losing a lot of foot soldiers." Said Mimi in concern. "There's too much noise for me to discern the exact numbers, but they seem to be very large."

Yet more foot soldiers were rushing at Tatsumi while he was stuck in the wall, but the armored knight quickly jumped out and began to kill them one by one. "Even with this armor on, my fists can damage you!" Kaku said, as he returned to pummel Tatsumi with his fists. Suddenly he was interrupted by a loud roar as an ape-like monster about as tall and muscular as Kaku himself grabbed him from behind and slammed him to the floor.

Back at the base, Toby continued to attack Woru and Doya, ignoring the many bullet holes in his chest. "You're quite the troublesome opponents..." He said to himself. "But my target is Kurome. I will not let you stand in my-"

Suddenly, Toby's arm was severed as Kurome appeared in front of him. "You want me?" She taunted. "Here I am."

"So now monsters are trying to interrupt the battle?" Kaku grunted. "Or are you another one of Yatsufusa's puppets!?" He lunged at the huge ape with his metal fist, and the ape responded with a punch of his own, sending shockwaves across the yard. "Tch..." Said Kaku. "Whatever this thing is, it looks like it's just as strong as I am..." He began to clash fists with the ape again, starting to push it back... Only for a bullet of raw energy to pierce his forehead from behind. He collapsed, revealing Mein holding her rifle, still in her night gown. "You still aren't strong enough to deal with him on your own, Tatsumi." She said in annoyance.

"Kaku is dead!" Mimi panicked. "And so are most of our foot soldiers!"

"Looks like I made a miscalculation..." Stylish lamented. "We've come this far. It can't be helped."

As he said that, Mimi looked up. "Something is getting closer...!" She said.

"What do you mean by -" Stylish started, only to witness a giant monster resembling a manta ray flying above him and over the forest. "A special class monster, Air Manta!?" He gasped.

"Someone is riding it!" Said the man in the domino mask. "That... That's the former general, Najenda! And there are two more people with her!"

"How stylish!!" Laughed Stylish. "To take such a powerful monster and make it into a transport!!"

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR ADMIRING!!" The long-nose man complained.

"I have to admit you surprised me a little..." Stylish continued. "But you also gave us a chance. I'll capture every last one of you... With my secret technique!!"


	20. Kill the Mad Genius

"You ran right into my hands, just as I planned." Said Toby, as a sharp blade sprouted from the stump where his severed arm used to be. He leaped towards Kurome again, prompting her to block his blade attack with her own sword... When suddenly, Toby revealed a gun muzzle inside his mouth and fired an antipersonnel bullet at Kurome. Unfazed, Kurome dodged his bullet and cut Toby's second arm off - only for him to reveal another gun underneath it. Before he was able to fire, Woru fired a kunai dagger from his shield and hit Toby in the forehead. Before Toby had the chance to reveal whether or not he's still alive, Kurome sliced off his head.

"There's more enemies!?" Tatsumi gasped, looking upwards at the Air Manta.

"Wait a second!" Said Mein, equipping her Pumpkeen's visor and looking upwards to see her Boss and two hooded figured riding the monster. "It's the Boss!" Mein cheered. "And she brought reinforcements!"

"What a great timing!" Tatsumi said in awe.

 _Kihihihihi..._ Laughed Trome, who was hiding in the bushes behind the two. _What an adorable young lady... Your back is wide open!_ He thought as he jumped up behind her with his knife...

Only for Leone, in her monster form, to appear and kick him away. She quickly ran up to Trome and grabbed him by the neck. "Don't get me wrong, I **love** doing sneak attacks..." She grunted. "I just don't like being targeted by them."

Trome simply laughed, revealing a hidden blade in his foot as he kicked Leone in the face, only for her to shatter the blade with her teeth and punch him to the ground.

"You alright there, sis?" Asked Tatsumi.

"I could survive thanks to my healing factor." Said Leone. "Right now I'm fit as a fiddle!"

"Good for you." Said Kurome, as she appeared alongside Lubbock.

"Looks like everyone's here." Said Mein.

Just then, several more modified foot soldiers appeared surrounding the entire group. "There's still some of them left." Tatsumi grunted.

"But these minions are the only ones still tipping my strings." Said Lubbock.

"I can't smell anyone else nearby either." Said Leone.

"Now that we're all here, they should be a piece of cake!" Tatsumi exclaimed.

Suddenly, Kurome fell to her knees, and everyone beside her and Tatsumi dropped to the floor.

"Guys? What's wrong?" Asked Tatsumi.

"I can't move...!" Mein said weakly.

"It's like that one time on the boat!" Said Tatsumi. "Is someone using hypnosis?"

"No. It's a paralyzing venom." Said Kurome, who seemed to resist it better than the others. "And venom only affects the living." She grinned, making Yatsufusa flash with black light as her Apeman, Doya, Woru and Natala all appeared beside them.

"Everyone seems to be down except Incursio and Yatsufusa, master Stylish." Said the blonde muscle man.

"Such is the power of my first secret technique..." Said Stylish. "My stylishly mixed ultra-concentrated paralyzing poison! Against people as strong as these, I doubted just any poison would work... So I took the liberty of breaking out my strongest stuff right away. It seems like being covered in heavy armor can protect them from the gas... But that's just a matter of time."

"But isn't it going to affect our allies as well!?" Asked the man with the big nose.

"Of course not. The modifications I made for your bodies render them all immune. Of course that includes you, Han, Mimi and Mae, my ears, eyes and nose on the field."

"And the poison is scentless, so it won't bother me! This is amazing!" Said Han, the long-nose man.

Leone already began to stand back up as the modified humans began to surround the team. Kurome was already on her feet, but both could hardly move.

"I'm still the only one who can fight." Said Tatsumi. "I have to protect everyone else!"

Suddenly, a powerful shockwave wiped out many of the foot soldiers as a figure landed in their midst. Once the dust cleared, the members of Night Raid saw a tall man in a white suit, with blue hair and bison-like horns, pinning down a soldier with a pole weapon ending with what appeared to be a blunt cylinder. Everyone looked at him in awe, except Lubbock, who was unconscious. "So that's our new ally..." Said Leone.

"It seems too dangerous for the two of us to drop off right now..." Said Najenda. "So I'm going to continue giving you orders from here."

"Understood." Said the man with the horns.

"Now exterminate the enemies before you... Susanoo!" Najenda continued.

"Understood." Said the blue-haired Susanoo, as horizontal spinning blades sprouted out of his weapon and he began to skewer the modified soldiers left and right. A few of them attempted to attack him from behind, only for Natala's naginata pole to extend and impale them one by one.

"He's strong...!" Said Tatsumi.

"There's a new guy wiping out all of our infantry!" Panicked Mae, the blonde man in the domino mask.

"That's impossible!" Said Mimi. "There is no living thing that the poison wouldn't work on!"

"It might be related to his Teigu." Said Stylish in concern. "And if that's the case, I wouldn't have to worry about destroying his body." Revealing a hidden device in his hand, Stylish pressed a button, and every intact torso of a modified foot soldier suddenly bloated, began to glow, and exploded.

"That is my second secret technique..." Said Stylish. "Special emergency human explosives! Now they're finished!"

Most of Yatsufusa's puppets, save for Apeman, were able to avoid the explosions by simply moving away. Susanoo, however, didn't have such luck. Being the target of the explosions, he was right in the middle, numerous holes in his body and half his torso blown off. Then, in a flash, the holes closed up and Susanoo instantly grew back its torso and arm.

"That person must be an automaton-type Teigu..." Said Mae. "A living Teigu!!"

Once Susanoo was done regenerating, he turned his gaze to Apeman which was blown to pieces, and then to Mein.

"What...?" Mein started, as Susanoo began to walk up to her. He reached out his hands towards Mein's vulnerable head... And fixed her hair which was disheveled by the explosion. "Alright!" He said.

"The fuck?" Asked Mein.

On the top of the Air Manta, Najenda scoured the area with Spectator still prominent on her eye. It wasn't long before she noticed Stylish, Mimi, Mae and Han hiding in the forest. "Susanoo!" She exclaimed. "The enemy is hiding in the woods to the southwest! Squash them out. Leave no survivors!"

"Understood!" Said Susanoo.

"We've been spotted!" Panicked Mimi.

"There's no choice!" Said Stylish. "We have to retreat! At this point fighting back would be suicide!" The group of four started to run, only for the Air Manta to tackle them from the front. They dropped to the ground just in time for Susanoo to reach them.

"Worry not, master Stylish!" Said Mae. "In a game of chess, the three of us would be the bishops and rooks! We'll protect you no matter what!!"

"That's not possible." Stylish grunted. "You three were made for reconnaissance. You stand no chance against this guy. He is a human Teigu who is immune to my paralyzing venom... But I have one last trump card that will topple these scales! My third secret technique, the monster transformation formula!!" He said, injecting his arm with a red hypo. in seconds, Stylish's skin and muscles bloated, turning into a giant humanoid shell of muscle. "THIS IS IT! THE ULTIMATE STYLISHNESS!!" He laughed. "I TURNED MYSELF INTO A MONSTER STRONG ENOUGH TO BLOW ALL OF YOU AWAY!!!"

"Such a magnificent creature..." Said Han. "As expected of our master Stylish - HUH!?" He gasped as Stylish's monster body grabbed him and Mae.

"You're useless to me now... Except as nutrients!!" Stylish laughed as a giant mouth formed in his monster body's chest and devoured the two. He then grabbed the shocked Mimi and ate her as well. "Wonderful!" He laughed. "By eating all three of you, I reached a new height!!" His monster body transformed further, growing a giant head with a conical backside full of red liquid and his right arm turning mechanical. Stylish's own torso was embedded in the monster's forehead.

"But right now, this is not enough!" Stylish shouted. "I still need to grow bigger and stronger... AND YOU'RE MY PERFECT PREY!!!" He said, reaching out to grab Susanoo. The human Teigu struck Stylish's metal arm with his mace, only for the gigantic creature to punch him away.

"That thing's too strong!" Tatsumi screamed. "I need to help him!"

"We're comin' in with ya, partner!" Said Doya as she, Natala and Woru began to follow him.

"What's wrong, automaton!?" Stylish laughed, creating craters with his punches trying to reach Susanoo. "Are you too afraid to go on the offense!?"

Then, Tatsumi and the three puppets reached the cliff Susanoo and Stylish were on.

"Oh, you got reinforcements?" Stylish said with a smug grin. "That matters not. I'll squish you like bugs!"

Then, a bullet hit Stylish's organic mech and pushed him off the cliff and back to the valley beneath the base. Using Mae's super-vision, he spotted Mein's smoking rifle as she was standing on the Air Manta with Najenda.

"It's over!!" Tatsumi exclaimed as he and Natala started to climb the monster's body together.

"LIKE HELL IT'S OVER!!" Stylish screamed as numerous tube-like tentacles appeared from his head and stabbed into Tatsumi and Natala, restraining them. "By feeding on your blood, I'll continue growing!!" He laughed.

"I'm getting weaker...!" Tatsumi groaned, as he struggled against the needles draining his blood...

When suddenly, a knife hit the monstrous head holding Stylish's body. "Impossible!" He gasped, as a hooded figure jumped at him from behind. "You're that Two-Face guy who -"

Before Stylish could finish his sentence, the figure he called Two-Face grabbed the knife from his monster body and stabbed it through Stylish's forehead, making the tendrils release Tatsumi and Natala. Two-Face then quickly took out a syringe and stabbed a hole through the back of the monster's head, filling it with Stylish's monster transformation formula.

"Who are you...?" Asked Tatsumi as he was getting up. Instead of responding, Two-Face threw something on the floor and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Tatsumi slowly got up and began to head back to where the rest of the group was. "I don't know who this guy is... But he just saved us big time."

"Giant monster dude just called him Two-Face." Said Doya. "And it looks like he knows where our base was. I'm not sure it's a good sign."

"I couldn't activate my Clearsight fast enough to see their face before they left." Said Najenda in disdain. "And we have no way to know if they or that Jäger have told anyone else about our location. We have to run away before anyone else shows up."

"Wait a minute..." Said Mein, already able to stand up. "WHERE THE HELL IS SHEELE!?"

"In all the chaos, we didn't notice she was missing!" Said Lubbock. "For all we know, she might be dead!"

"She's... Still in her room." Said Najenda. "She looks like she's asleep."

Najenda, Lubbock and Mein ran back into the base and headed towards Sheele's room. Just as Najenda said, Sheele was sleeping peacefully on her bed.

"Sheele, are you alright?" Asked Mein as she shook Sheele in order to wake her up.

"What are you doing? It's in the middle of the night..." Sheele murmured as she opened her eyes.

"Didn't you hear the fight?" Asked Lubbock.

"What fight?" Asked Sheele.

"One of the Jägers just attacked our base." Said Najenda. "Which means he was able to learn our location somehow."

"That's terrible!" Said Sheele as she grabbed her glasses. "We have to run away before anyone else finds us!"

"Staying asleep while the base is attacked and having no clue what happened, that's Sheele for you." Lubbock grunted.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Kurome laid a hand on Tatsumi's shoulder. "Looks like I lost another one of my puppets."

"He was strong." Said Tatsumi. "I feel like we couldn't have won without him."

"Nah, Apeman's no big deal." Said Kurome. "Natala's ten times stronger than him anyways."

"Then why are you -" Tatsumi started, before his eyes widened in realization.

"Exactly." Said Kurome. "As soon as we're done relocating, I'm going to resurrect your friends."

**Jägers: 6 left**


	21. Kill the Unexplored

"Whoa, this feels great!"

The entire Night Raid group were riding into the distance at the back of the gigantic Air Manta... Except for the puppets, who were following from underground. "For an assassin, you're unbelievably innocent, Tatsumi..." Said the second new member the Boss brought with her: A beautiful girl with auburn-pink hair named Chelsea.

"I gotta admit, this is way more fun than I thought..." Said Leone.

"NO IT ISN'T!!" Yelled Mein, who had motion sickness.

_Our destination are the Marg highlands, located 800 kilometers southeast of the Capital. Dotten with dozens of sheer plateaus, it has a unique ecosystem all of its own. The monsters residing here are on a level too high for human habitation, and thus, it remains an unexplored territory._

"...And because it's unexplored, it's a perfect spot for us to stay in!" Najenda concluded. "The Revolutionary Army's reconnaissance teams are currently scouting for a fitting place for a permanent new hideout closer to the Capital. Until then, we'll train here."

As the Boss was finished with her briefing, the Air Manta took off and flew away.

"Was that thing _supposed_ to leave?" Asked Mein. " _With_ the Teigu we just recovered?"

"We couldn't hog a transport vehicle this important for ourselves." Said the Boss.

"It probably went back to the HQ." Said Chelsea. "Their nest is there, which makes it easy to deliver into automatically. I can't believe you didn't know that, Mein."

"Does that mean we can use it to break into the palace from above?" Asked Tatsumi.

"Unfortunately, it isn't that simple." Said Kurome. "The palace is surrounded with powerful monsters that are trained to guard it from the air."

"They really had to account for everything, didn't they..." Said Tatsumi.

"Don't worry." Said Najenda. "We **are** going to get a ride home when things are calmed down a bit in the Capital. Now, let me properly introduce to you the newest members of Night Raid! First is Chelsea." She said, pointing to Chelsea... Who was unattentively sitting on the side with a lolipop.

"Honestly, she doesn't look like a better assassin than Mein and the rest..." Said Tatsumi.

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Said the Boss. "The number of successful assassinations she has under her belt is nearly as large as Kurome's. And this here is a Teigu I was given by the Revolutionary Army - Flash of Lightning, Susanoo. He's an automaton-type Teigu who can move by itself, so wielding it alongside Spectator is no problem."

"Uh..." Tatsumi awkwardly looked at Susanoo. "I look forward to working with you?"

Instead of answering, Susanoo rushed towards Tatsumi and fixed his shirt. "There!" He said.

"He's also a perfectionist." Said Najenda.

"A perfectionist Teigu?" Asked Mein. "I guess that's why he fixed my hair earlier."

"So... What are his abilities?" Asked Leone.

"Brace yourself and I'll show you." Said Najenda. "Susanoo! Do your thing!"

"Understood!" Said Susanoo. Taking out an ordinary axe, he began to chop down trees, collect plants and catch birds, constructing a campfire and making soup.

"Uh..." Said Lubbock. "That's cool, but, what exactly is he doing?"

"It looks like he's just doing housework." Said Tatsumi.

"PRECISELY!" Said the Boss. "Susanoo was created to be the bodyguard for important statesmen! He's constantly at the ready to engage in combat, but he's also equipped with household skills to take care of its master in any possible way! Laundry, cleaning, everything! He even has thousands of different recipes in his repertoire!"

"THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH COMBAT!!" Mein yelled.

"As a matter of fact, these skills are still very useful!" Najenda protested. "And he obviously does have secret techniques when it comes to battle... Right?"

"Right." Said Susanoo.

"We're done searching the doctor's quarters." Said Ran. "But we found nothing to indicate his whereabouts. However, his work notes and tools were left in his lab. He didn't run away... He was **killed**."

"And judging by the total absence of his fortified soldiers, it appears as though they were all killed in a battle." Said Borris.

"I see..." Said Esdeath. "Looks like Seryu has yet another master she has to avenge."

Saying that, she left the room and went to look for Seryu. She found her in the palace courtyard, polishing one of her weapons. "Are you going to still be able to maintain your mechanical parts?" Esdeath asked.

"I'll be fine..." Said Seryu, wearing a fake smile. "All the necessary materials are intact in his lab. I can't make any additions or upgrades, but maintaining what I have would be no problem..."

"I see." Said Esdeath.

Seryu's fake smile, which she could barely hold, completely collapse and she burst into tears. "First my parents... Then my teacher... And now, the one I owe everything to... These evil monsters keep murdering everyone I ever cared about..."

"Seryu -" Esdeath started.

"I can't let this go on, mistress!" Seryu shouted out. "I have to hurry up and eradicate these fiends!!"

Esdeath, walked up to Seryu, slightly blushing, and hugged her. "As long as you're with me, I'll do everything in my power to make your wish come true."

"General..." Seryu started to blush herself.

"From here on out, I'll always look after you as my precious subordinate." Esdeath continued. "This is the least you deserve."

"Thank you..." Seryu's tears stopped running. "My strength and my very life are devoted to justice and to you, my commander."

"Very well." Said Esdeath.

Back in Marg Highlands, Kurome and Tatsumi walked out of the makeshift house Susanoo built for the rest of Night Raid. No one else was with them - not even Natala and Doya.

"I made my promise, and now I'll fulfill it." Said Kurome. "When my puppets are not active, they wait to be summoned underground. And with them, I took the bodies of your two friends. Now that I have two empty slots in my theater, I can finally bring them back to you."

"I just want to thank you again for doing this." Said Tatsumi. "Sayo and Ieyasu really meant a lot to me. Without you I'd never be able to see them again... And you don't even know them."

"Not yet." Kurome smirked. "If they were sent with you, they must've been powerful. I bet the Revolutionary Army could even give them a Teigu."

After saying this, Kurome stabbed her sword into the ground, black lightning flowing through its blade. Seconds later, Ieyasu's preserved body emerged from the ground. Sayo appeared soon after and knelt.

"I am at your command, my mistress."

"Alright! Maintenance is finished!" Said Seryu, wiping her tears once again and starting to head back to the palace.

Akame was waiting for her inside. "You said you can't make any upgrades to your weapons anymore?"

"Y...Yes." Said Seryu. "With master Stylish gone, there's no one who can make modifications on the level that he could..."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Said Akame. "I've heard the Prime Minister already found a replacement for his position as the Imperial head scientist."

"Really?" Asked Seryu.

"Yeah." Said Akame. "That person used to live alone outside the Capital with her assistant and wasn't actually affiliated with the Empire until she recently volunteered to fight alongside the army in the conquest of the West Country. She gave pretty good results, and in fact, people are saying her intellect and her invention actually _surpass_ Stylish. She came back to the Capital only recently, so whether or not she's actually going to replace Stylish is unclear."

Seryu looked at both her hands for a moment. "Whether or not this person is going to take master Stylish's official position is irrelevant for me. If she's truly a better scientist than he was, I'm ready to start working under her."

Akame chuckled a little. "I believe she prefers to call herself an _Alchemist_."

**Night Raid: 8 left**


	22. Kill the Newcomers

One month since Night Raid's arrival at Marg Highlands, the whole group was now resting in their improvised cabin, feasting on a giant fish.

"Susanoo's cooking sure is great!" Said Leone. "All the fatigue from my training is gone!"

"Thanks, Susanoo!" Said Sheele.

"Susanoo!" Said Tatsumi. "We should go training tomorrow!"

"Didn't I tell you?" Said the Boss with a smug grin. "Susanoo is amazing! I'm glad you all understand that now."

"I just didn't expect the Revolutionary Army to have a Teigu this amazing just laying around." Said Tatsumi.

"That's not it." Said Najenda. "Susanoo was dormant until now. Only I was able to awaken it."

"That's nice..." Said Sheele.

"He must've responded to my charisma!" The Boss exclaimed.

"Najenda simply reminds me of my previous master." Said Susanoo.

"I'm sure your previous master was a wonderful person!" Said Najenda.

"Why won't you tell us about them?" Asked Leone.

"He was a wonderful Great General!" Susanoo said.

" **HE!?** " Najenda asked in shock.

Suddenly, Leone started to laugh like crazy. "He's saying the Boss looks like a man!!!"

"I think you made her mad..." Sheele whispered.

Before Leone had a chance to respond, Najenda chopped her in the head.

"Everyone's over there bonding with Susanoo..." Grunted Lubbock in the adjacent room. "It's like he stole my position from me!"

"I wouldn't miss being in your position." Said Mein.

Once she said that, a small, yellow, catlike creature entered through the cabin's window. "Is that a Mag Panther cub?" Asked Mein. "It doesn't look like it's scared of us."

While she was speaking, the Mag Panther started tapping closer to Mein and the slice of cake she was eating. "Oh no. I'm not gonna give you any -"

Before Mein could finish, the small cat leaped at her and snatched the cake from her hand... And then turned into Chelsea in a puff of smoke. "Meow meow, now it's mine~" She giggled.

"CHELSEA!!" Mein yelled.

"You have too many openings, Mein." Said Chelsea.

"What are you-" Mein started.

"So you have the ability to turn into a cat?" Asked Lubbock.

"I can turn into anything I want." Said Chelsea. "This is my Teigu, Gaea's Toolkit. Useful, isn't it?" She turned back to Mein. "Like I said, you're gonna have to start working on covering those openings... Or you'll be the next one to die."

"YOUR TEIGU'S GONNA BE USELESS THE MOMENT YOU'RE FOUND OUT!!!" Mein yelled.

"That is correct." Said Chelsea. "My Teigu is a support-type. It's not made for combat... But that just makes getting the jump on you all the more satisfying. Your surprised expression just now was wonderful~♡"

"YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF!!!" Mein shouted.

A few hours later, Tatsumi and Leone were facing a group of dinosaur-like monsters along with Sayo and Ieyasu, wielding an ordinary bow and axe respectively. "You two! I'm leaving the trash to you!" Said Leone.

Sayo and Ieyasu's strength was on par with Tatsumi before he joined Night Raid, and as puppets they had inhuman resilience and pain immunity. Just one of these dinosaurs would've been no problem for either of them, but a whole flock was a different story. Standing back to back, the two warriors were killing monsters left and right, but they were losing more ground as the beasts were surrounding them.

"Hold tight!" Tatsumi exclaimed as a spear sprouted from his palm. He ran up to the monsters surrounding his two friends and sliced them to pieces in seconds.

 _That is Incursio's Auxilary Armament - Neuntote..._ Leone thought. _It looks like Tatsumi's resolve to protect his friends made him strong enough to summon it. Little by little, he's getting closer to being as strong as Brad._

"I could beat these overgrown reptiles myself if I wanted to!" Ieyasu grunted. "Don't act like we're helpless just because you got a cool armor!"

"We both would've been toast if he didn't save us just now!" Sayo yelled at him.

 _It's almost like everything is back to normal..._ Tatsumi thought as he breathed a sigh of relief under Incursio's helmet.

At the same time, Leone looked into the distance as she noticed a larger, more powerful monster hiding behind nearby rock pillars. She leaped at the dinosaur and punched it, only for it to breathe a flame at her. "Looks like you've got your own secret technique?" She chuckled, jumping to the side as the alpha slashed three deep cut in the wall behind her with its claws. Then, she landed down with a double axe handle and shattered the monster's skull. "Ownage complete!" She smiled.

Later still, Tatsumi and Leone gathered before the Boss along with Kurome, Mein and Sheele. "Looks like you've all gotten used to taking out all the dangerous monsters around here." Said the Boss.

"They're always around, so I can't let my guard down!" Said Tatsumi.

"Whatever... It's more fun that way." Said Leone.

"The air's thin here." Said Najenda. "And here you are, constantly fighting real battles in this harsh environment. I think you've all gotten stronger."

"That's right! I can feel the results." Said Mein.

"You've been watching Night Raid fight for a month, Chelsea." Said Najenda. "So, what do you think of my team?"

"They're definitely strong." Said Chelsea. "Probably even stronger than the last team I was in."

"SO YOU ADMIT IT!" Mein laughed.

"It's not like strength is the only thing you need to survive, though." Said Chelsea. "I know you called me in because one of you already died. Brad, wasn't it? I'm sure he was a wonderful person, but... He must've been a failure as an assassin."

"WHAT!?" Said Tatsumi in anger.

"You all have to do something about how soft you are." Chelsea continued. "Otherwise, you're always in risk of failing no matter how strong you get."

"Everything she does is pissing me off!" Mein grunted.

"Well... She's just blunt." Said the Boss.

"For now, we should cook the monsters you all hunted." Said Susanoo.

"Yeah, I'm kinda hungry too..." Said Sheele.

At evening, Mein was sitting at a campfire outside with Sheele, Tatsumi and Lubbock. "So, what did you want to talk about, Mein?" Asked Tatsumi.

"Doesn't Chelsea piss you off?" Mein said. "She just insulted Brad today, for crying out loud!"

"Of course I'm not happy with people insulting the ones I care about." Said Tatsumi.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't **meant** to be an insult though..." Said Sheele.

"Then we're going to teach her a lesson." Said Mein. "We'll leave her speechless and laugh at her openings like she laughs at ours! And while she's standing shocked, I will land the finishing blow and declare victory! It's perfect!!"

"And... How are we going to do that?" Asked Sheele.

"You three think that over." Said Mein. "I'll think up my part myself. We'll carry it out tonight. Let's leave her speechless!" She entered the cabin and slammed the door shut.

"Pushy as always..." Said Lubbock.

"Sooooooo what's the plan exactly?" Asked Sheele.

"That's what we're trying to discuss..." Said Tatsumi.

"Let's see..." Said Lubbock. "We can try something with our Teigu?" Suddenly, he perked up. "Yes! I got it!"

Some time later, Tatsumi was using Incursio to turn invisible as he was hiding at the hot tub where Chelsea was bathing. He grabbed a bucket of cold water and began to quietly walk up to her...

When suddenly, Susanoo popped out of the water with a splash. "THAT'S A GUY!?" Tatsumi gasped.

"You're there, aren't you? I can tell." Said Susanoo.

"...How?" Asked Tatsumi.

"Incursio can make you invisible..." Said Susanoo. "But you can't hide your presence. Do not forget about this... Or you'll die."

"...Of course." Said Tatsumi, removing his armor.

"Yet another opening." Said Susanoo, tapping Tatsumi's head before turning back into Chelsea. "Ehehehe, turns out it **was** me~ I could tell it was you and guessed your intention."

"So you transformed just to scare me?" Tatsumi asked. "I admit defeat..."

"Deception is my specialty." Said Chelsea. "If you think you can deceive me, you're ten years early... Does that make you angry when people say that?"

"No..." Said Tatsumi. "What you said about my weakness was accurate. I'll put this information to good use in the future."

"Looks like you're smarter than you look." Said Chelsea. "Just recently I came home from a mission only to find my whole team dead."

 _That's right!_ Tatsumi thought. _She's the sole survivor of the local team!_

"I just don't want all of you to end up the same way." Chelsea continued.

"So you said all of those things because you wanted to protect us?" Tatsumi asked. "Looks like you're softer than you look too, Chelsea."

"That's not it!" Said Chelsea, picking up Tatsumi's bucket and spilling the water on his face. "I just want to keep my heart clean. Oh, also - if you try to interrupt my bath again, I'm going to cut it off, so be prepared!"

At a large mine in the vicinity of the Capital, the workers' nightshift was interrupted by a large humanoid monster suddenly walking up to them from the cavern's depths. "I never seen this kind of monster before! Run!!" A miner cried out as the monster grabbed him and bit off his face. The rest of the miners began to run away, only for more monsters to appear behind them and eat them alive.

"These new toys sure are interesting..." Said a man in a hood walking in the monsters' midst. "I'm going to thoroughly enjoy this. It's been a long time... Capital."


	23. Kill the Monsters

The Prime Minister and Esdeath were sitting next to a simple table and enjoying some afternoon tea. Esdeath was enjoying tea, that is; the Minister was feasting on a large glass of wine and a quad-burger.

"There's still one more thing I should ask of you, General." Said the Minister.

"And what might that be?" Asked Esdeath.

"There's been a new species of monsters that have been starting to appear around the Capital. I wish that you'll defeat and capture them."

"Ah, _those_ monsters. We've been investigating them already. They've only been appearing at dense forests and mines, but a few days ago they started breaking into villages and eating the occupants."

"Exactly!" The Minister said with a grin. "And they look almost like humans... I bet they'd make for interesting toys. Great General Budo was ordered to destroy them, but I wish you to capture them alive for study by all means."

"Alright." Said the Great General. "I wanted to hunt them ever since I've heard of these ferocious beasts. I'll try to get at least two or three alive and bring them to you... Send the rewards to my remaining troops in the North."

"As always, you're so kind to your subordinates..." Said the Minister.

"The more admiration you give them, the more frugal they'll be with their lives when they fight." Said Esdeath. "I believe this to be the main reason for my unit's great offensive ability."

"How reliable." Said the Minister. "I'm relying on you to bring me some very lively specimens."

"Hurry!" Said a merchant to his friend who was driving a chariot. "We gotta get back to the Capital while there's still light!"

"I know." Said the other merchant. "Let's wave goodbye to this danger zone..."

Suddenly, a group of modified monsters appeared in front of the charging chariot. "THEY'RE HERE!!!" Said the driver, frantically trying to get his horse to turn away. The monsters rushed at the humans...

When suddenly, Borris appeared in front of them, punching one of the monsters at the front several meters away and making it plow a small trench in the ground. "I made it in time!" He said.

While Borris was preparing to activate his Teigu, one of the monsters kicked him in the face, and several others began to gang up on him. He quickly got up and pushed them away.

"With this, I'm bringing you down for sure!!" Said Borris, activating Rubicante and burning the humanoid monsters to a crisp with a beam of fire. "You're safe to go, everybody!"

"It's alright now." Said Seryu, appearing behind one of the merchants. "The flames of justice have extinguished evil!"

"You're those soldiers from the Capital!" Said one of the merchants in the chariot.

"Thank god, they calmed down!" Borris whispered.

"BORRIS!" Screamed Wave, alerting him of three remaining monsters who were rushing towards them. Turning around, Seryu breathed an invisible gas from her mouth, and the beasts fainted. Before they could recover, Esdeath laid a hand on the ground and they froze in blocks of ice.

"Interesting..." She said. "This really is a type of monsters I've never seen before."

Akame, who was next to Esdeath, looked at one of the frozen monsters for a moment. "Don't eat it." Said Esdeath.

Later, back at the Jägers' base, Wave was once again being completely outclassed by Akame, this time in a game of chess. Borris walked up to them with some tea and then looked at Wave for a moment. "Wave... What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm... Kinda angry." Said Wave. "Even though you're such a good person, Borris, everyone is judging you based on your looks!"

"Wave..." Said Borris. "I know I already said it, but... I'm **not** a good person. I've reduced whole villages to ashes and burned people to death as they were claiming they were innocent. I'm sure I've earned grudges from more people than I can possibly count."

"YOU WERE JUST DOING THAT BECAUSE IT WAS YOUR JOB!" Said Wave.

"Even if I did it because of someone else's orders, sins are sins." Said Borris. "That's why I feel the reactions of the people I save... Are also punishment."

"Borris... That's too cruel." Said Wave. "From now on, you can speak to me about anything you -"

Suddenly, the door was opened by a young woman and a small child. "Hey there!" Said the woman.

Borris immediately began to freak out. "WHY ARE YOU TWO HERE?!?"

"You forgot the lunchbox we made together, dear..." Said the woman, handing him a lunch box.

"Silly papa!" The child laughed.

"...Oh." Said Borris.

"This is a tough job. We'll always do whatever we can to help you!" Said the woman.

"I'll be careful!" Said Borris. Then, he turned back to Wave. "My wife and daughter know everything I've done, and yet, they always supported me. So no matter how many people laugh or get scared of me, I'm happy to still have my family!"

Meanwhile, near a waterfall at the Marg Highlands, Tatsumi was smashing large rocks that were falling out of the waterfall, one by one, with his bare armored fists.

Susanoo was watching him. "Don't just throw yourself at your target with all your might..." He said calmly. The next rock approached, and Susanoo shattered it with his club. "No matter how tough something is, it will always have a weakness. When you fight, you have to aim at those weak spots... It's quite effective."

"That's true..." Said Tatsumi, taking off his armor. "But it's hard to find a weak spot in the middle of an actual battle."

"I can spot them without even trying." Said Susanoo.

"You sure are sensitive..." Said Tatsumi.

"I'm a Teigu who was made to watch over my master." Said Susanoo. "I can't afford to miss anything unusual about those around me."

"That makes sense..." Said Tatsumi. "I'm assured that as long as you're around, we won't have to worry about losing anyone else."

"I'm just a Teigu." Said Susanoo. "You can't even count me as a person."

"Teigu or not, you're still our friend!" Said Tatsumi, holding out his fist for a fist bump.

"Friend, huh..." Said Susanoo. "I'm not sure I understand. Is it because we fight alongside one another?"

"I mean... We do..." Said Tatsumi. "But being friends is more about... Helping each other out, I guess?"

Susanoo still seemed to struggle to grasp his limited mind around the concept.

"I have an idea!" Said Tatsumi. "You're perceptive, right? How about you help me and Lubbock out with picking up girls?"

"I still don't fully understand..." Said Susanoo. "But if that's what you want, I'll help you as much as I can."

"Great!" Said Tatsumi.

"You're picking up girls without me?" Grunted Ieyasu as he appeared out of the woods.

"Shut up!" Said Sayo, slapping him. "There's an emergency! We need to go back to the base!"

"An emergency?" Asked Tatsumi.

"Something about a bunch of new monsters that keep showing up..." Said Ieyasu. "Looks like we got to go back to the Capital and take care of this!"

"Which means we can finally show the results of our training!" Said Sayo. "We may not be as strong as you just yet, but these monsters better be ready for a world of hurt!"


	24. Kill the Hindrance

Riding on the back of an Air Manta once again, Night Raid landed in their new base which was carved out of a mountain side 15 kilometers North-East of the Capital.

"You know, this barely looks new..." Tatsumi said to himself.

"When what you've got is great, there's no need to change it!" Doya said with a smile.

"Good thing we have proper hot springs again." Said Mein.

"And drinks!" Said Leone.

"Sounds good!♪" Said Chelsea.

"Najenda! I finished surrounding the base with a string barrier!" Said Lubbock.

"Great job!" Said Najenda.

"I've dug a secret tunnel for emergency escape." Said Susanoo.

"That was fast!" Said Najenda. "As expected of Lightning-Speed Susanoo. Thanks to you, our base is fully operational!"

"DON'T YOU THINK YOU'VE WON THIS!!" Lubbock yelled at Susanoo.

"What are you talking about..." Said Susanoo.

"Finally, a proper base of operations!" Said Ieyasu. "I, the great Ieyasu, couldn't possibly expect to keep residing in that ugly shack in the desert!"

Shortly afterwards, most of Night Raid gathered in the conference room with their Boss. "Okay, everyone!" Said the Boss. "Now that we're done relocating, it's time we start dealing with the aforementioned new monster species. There have been documented cases of them mobilizing in groups, and they seem to show some rudimentary signs of intelligence. Individually they possess great strength, as even martial arts masters of the highest rank attempted to defeat them and lost. Even now, they're lurking in the mines and woods South to the Capital, gorging on people and livestock alike. The Imperial Police, the military and even the Jägers have been trying to exterminate them, but there seem to still be numerous amounts of them remaining."

"They're causing trouble to the Empire's own soldiers, so it doesn't look like it's a trap." Said Mein.

"Aren't we kind of... _Help_ _ing_ the Empire?" Asked Sheele, sounding a little worried.

"That's only circumstantial!" Tatsumi rebutted her. "Whether it's from the Empire or from monsters, our mission is to defend the people, and that's what we'll do!"

"I wouldn't want to risk running into soldiers, though." Said Leone.

"We are Night Raid." Said the Boss. "We'll strike at night, when the Empire is resting."

"So you're accepting all those risks and go beast hunting, huh?" Said Chelsea. "I think it's best to leave it to the Jägers. You're still so soft..."

"I understand what you're trying to say." Said Tatsumi. "But these monsters could be still attacking people right now. We may be murderers, but we're allies of the people! We're going to do whatever we can to protect them, even to save one more person!"

"I thought you'd say something like that." Said Chelsea. "I get it..."

"This is how Night Raid works." Najenda said coldly. "You have to deal with it or **get out**."

"I'm just worried..." Said Chelsea. "I've read about what happened to Brad... And I feel like this kindness is going to cost Tatsumi and the others with their lives."

Ran was walking across the Imperial palace grounds when he spotted Esdeath watching over a garden of flowers. "Ran..." She said quietly. "I need to tell you something. Those monsters... It seems like according to the Imperial Head Scientist's research, they might have been part human."

"I was speculating that might be the case." Said Ran. "Their physical characteristics alone suggest that. Creating monsters out of humans... Is probably something only a Teigu can do. Those dangerous monsters might have been a byproduct of the Doctor's experiments. What's more is that they appeared right after he had died."

"Any other reasons?" Asked Esdeath.

"I searched his lab." Ran continued. "It looked far too plain. He was supposed to have researched a wide variety of things, but the documentation I found was surprisingly tame."

"He might've had another, more secret laboratory somewhere." Esdeath suggested.

"Exactly." Said Ran. "And those monsters might have been secured there and escaped. It might also be the work of some third party's Teigu..."

"Unlikely. It's far too chaotic." Said Esdeath.

"But there's no reason these test subjects would be abruptly released just because he died fighting someone else... Unless those monsters **are** what killed Doctor Stylish and his modified soldiers."

"Or if the one that killed him went on to release the creatures on purpose." Said Esdeath.

"I understand." Said Ran. "I'll look into it."

"There might be more, deeper implications to this." Said Esdeath. "I'll leave the rest to you."

"Well, anyways..." Said Ran. "It sure is rare to see you admiring flowers, captain..."

"Those aren't just ordinary flowers." Esdeath explained. "They contain a poison that causes excruciating pain when applied to an open wound. Good for quick and easy torture."

"...How enlightening." Said Ran.

"...YOU CORRUPTED EVIL CREATURES WHO THREATEN THE POPULACE!!" Seryu yelled as she swung her Spear of Justice over a group of monsters. "CORO! NUMBER ONE!!"

Heeding her command, the doglike automaton bit into Seryu's arm; upon releasing, it revealed a large spiked ball of metal connected to her arm with a long chain.

"SHINKOU'S BALL OF JUSTICE!!" Seryu shouted as she swung the giant ball at the monsters, tearing a whole row of them to shreds.

"CORO! FEAST UPON THE REMAINING EVIL CREATURES!!" Said Seryu as Coro devoured the last of the monsters.

Suddenly, Seryu looked into the forest where the monsters came from. "There's someone there! Identify yourself!!"

Hearing this, the hooded figure calmly stepped out from behind a tree. "You're one of the famed Jägers, aren't you? I didn't expect you to spot me."

Seryu smirked. "Such is the power my new mistress has given me... The power of my former master and all his creations! An evil scum like you who sends out monsters to hurt the innocent stands no chance against me!!" She laughed as she was about to swing her Ball of Justice at the stranger... Only for him to seemingly sink into the floor and vanish.

"Well... At least **one** of you's a cute girl." Lubbock grunted as he, Tatsumi, Sayo and Ieyasu were walking up a mountain. "Do you see any soldiers camping around here?"

"Our intel says they withdraw during night when they're close to the Capital, remember?" Said Tatsumi.

"And besides, if there _were_ any soldiers here, we'd take 'em out no problem. Don't be a coward." Said Ieyasu.

"You know, timidity is indispensable for murderers like us to survive." Said Lubbock. "Even Najenda said that. Remember it!"

"You know what I realized?" Said Sayo.

"What?" Asked Lubbock.

"That you're the only one who calls The Boss by her name."

"Well, you see..." Lubbock stumbled for a moment. "Her and I... Knew each other for a long time. Since before she left the Imperial army, in fact. Back then... I was the fourth son of one of the Capital's rich merchants. I could have anything I want, I was skilled at everything... And I was bored of it."

"You're gonna tell us your backstory, aren't you." Said Sayo.

"I WAS JUST GETTING TO THE SAD PART!!" Lubbock yelled at her before continuing. "It was then that Najenda moved into the region where I lived... I fell in love with her at first sight. So I volunteered to join the army, and using my own skills, I tried to climb high enough to serve directly under her."

"So the reason you're in Night Raid is...?" Asked Tatsumi, who was used to this by now.

"Just so I can continue working by Najenda's side." Said Lubbock. "I helped her escape the Empire and forged records that we were both dead. Clever, isn't it? But I was never rewarded for any of my efforts. That's the only sad thing about my backstory."

"Lubbock..." Tatsumi laid a hand on his comrade's shoulder. "If you want to win over The Boss... THEN STOP PEEKING AT OTHER WOMEN WHILE THE'RE BATHING!!!"

"THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FEELING LOVE FOR SOMEONE AND WANTING TO LOOK AT CUTE GIRLS!!" Lubbock retaliated.

"THE FACT YOU THINK THIS WAY IS EXACTLY WHY YOU NEVER GET REWARDED!!!" Tatsumi yelled back at him.

"Just you wait." Lubbock said, more quietly this time. "One day I'll make her fall for me."

"I'll treat you to anything you like when that happens..." Said Tatsumi.

"So... Where exactly are the monsters we're supposed to be hunting?" Asked Sayo.

"I can't see any around here." Said Ieyasu.

"I got the strings set, but I haven't caught anything." Said Lubbock.

"If it's safe in here, I'm gonna grab my Teigu and take a quick look around at the summit." Said Tatsumi.

"Don't keep all the fun to yourself! Come back and tell us if you find anything!" Ieyasu yelled.

"Got it." Said Tatsumi, activating Incursio. "Be right back!"

After saying that, Tatsumi made his way to the top of the mountain with a few short jumps. He looked around and saw... Nothing.

"Hm... Looks like there's nothing special around here. Not a living thing in sight. Maybe they're... Sleeping?" He un-equiped his armor. "I wonder how the others are doing. I hope they're safe."

Once he said that, Tatsumi noticed a few strange noises from a distance. He drew Incursio's sword form and started going after the noise, prompting a group of monsters to show up from the other side of the mountain top.

"These things look pretty strong..." Tatsumi said to himself. "But they're not the monsters we're looking for. It would be unwise to fight them now. I better head back."

Saying that, Tatsumi equipped Incursio again and then immediately turned invisible and ran back down the mountain.

At the opposite side of the mountain from where Tatsumi was heading, the hooded figure looked around carefully and discarded his hood, revealing a young tan man with pale lilac hair and a X-shaped scar across his face, wearing white pants and a white tanktop with a unique symbol on it.

"That was a close one..." The man whispered to himself. "That Jäger was much stronger than I thought. I better not stay this close by, now that she's seen me... She probably told all her friends by now, so if anyone else sees me, I'm a dead man. But the person she mentioned who gave her this power... If this is the person I think it is, then it's great news for her... And terrible news for me. And on top of that, it looks like I already ran out of monsters to play with. That said... I still have a couple of big toys left that I could clean up... Before I can announce my return to the Prime Minister."


	25. Kill the Colossal Beast

"So you haven't encountered any of the new dangerous monsters?" Said Mein, as Night Raid regrouped in front of their base at morning. "That's awfully convenient."

"Our intel seems to confirm this." Said Woru. "By all appearances, they're almost entirely vanquished."

"And we didn't get to kill any!" Ieyasu complained. "How can I, the great Ieyasu, prove my worth when all my potential opponents are slain before I can fight them!?"

"Either way..." Said Leone. "Now that's over with, we can go back to committing mass murder in the name of justice!"

"Which is gonna give ya way more room to prove yourself, partner!" Said Doya. "And I'm sure fighting a bunch of normal dudes will be a better bet than -"

"GENERAL NAJENDA!!!" A screaming voice interrupted Doya, seemingly coming from above the base. Looking upwards, the members of Night Raid were able to see an Air Manta flying in the distance.

"It's an Air Manta, with one guy riding it!" Said Mein. "It looks like he's firing at something!"

Najenda simply activated Spectator and turned to look at the Air Manta. She looked shocked.

"Boss?" Asked Sheele.

"A gigantic monster is approaching..." Said The Boss. "It bears a great similarity to Stylish's transformed state, but with one of the mutated monsters in its forehead. The man who's firing at it is Nuge, an officer of the main Revolutionary Army in the South who commands a battalion of a thousand soldiers. What is he doing all the way here?"

"GENERAL NAJENDA!!!" Nuge screamed. "THIS GIANT MONSTER DECIMATED MY ENTIRE BATTALION IN AN INSTANT! I DROVE IT AWAY FROM HEADQUARTERS AND IT CHASED ME ALL THE WAY OUT HERE! I CAN'T DESTROY THIS THING ALONE, YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!!!" While he was screaming, his Air Manta was flying closer to the base, and they could notice the giant monster running after it.

"You heard him!" Said Najenda. "Everyone! Go out and destroy this monster before it tramples our base a second time!"

"Got it!" The members of Night Raid shouted as one, proceeding to run after the colossal beast with their weapons up. Noticing them on the ground, the monster stopped chasing Nuge's Air Manta and turned to look down.

At the exact same time, a similar monster was slamming its gigantic fists at the walls of the Capital, making large cracks and threatening to collapse it. Borris, Wave and Seryu began to run up to it.

"First we had those part-human monsters and now this thing? Where do they all keep coming from!?" Wave yelled.

"Wave!" Said Borris. "Find the rest of the Jägers and get them here! We'll hold this thing off!"

"No need to..." Said Seryu. "I'll exterminate this evil creature myself! ACTIVATE NUMBER FOUR: KYOSHI'S GALLOWS!"

Coro didn't need to bite into Seryu's arm; it seemingly changed form by itself and turned into a large, barbed grappling hook. She fired it at the monster's arm, trying to hook herself into it, but the hook bounced off of the monster's impenetrable skin and retracted back into Seryu's arm. She looked barely surprised.

"RUBICANTE!!!" Borris exclaimed as he fired a jet of Greek fire at the monster. It was pushed back a little, but no visible damage was dealt. The monster prepared to charge back at the wall and destroy it...

"GRAND FALL!!" Wave exclaimed as he launched itself at the beast, pushing it back again. "Everyone! We need to keep this thing distracted! If it breaks through the wall, everyone who's still behind it will die!"

"Got it!" Said Borris as he and Seryu jumped off the wall and began to run around the beast, which was trying to hit Wave but almost always missed due to his speed.

"We've defeated one of these before. We can do it again!" Leone exclaimed as she ran up to the first monster and hit the back of its foot in an attempt to trip it. The monster simply kicked her backwards and sent her flying through a bunch of trees. Sayo tried to distract it with arrows, but they didn't even pierce the monster's skin.

"You think your ordinary arrows can budge this creature!?" Nuge berated her, now flying closer to Sayo with his Air Manta. "My Teigu is the most powerful bow in the world - Ceaseless Rainstorm, L'Arc Qui Ne Faut! If I couldn't make a difference against this monster, your inferior skill will be useless!"

"What makes you think you're that much better than someone you just met!?" Ieyasu yelled at him.

"Come, and I'll show you!" Said Nuge, flying his Air Manta towards the monster. "L'ARC QUI NE FAUT!!" He screamed, firing a massive barrage of arrows that rained down on the monster, piercing its left arm like a pin cushion... But the monster didn't even budge and simply swatted the Air Manta like a fly, killing both it and Nuge. His body, along with his bow and quiver, fell near the base next to where Najenda and Kurome were standing.

"We could probably defeat this thing the same way we defeated Stylish..." Kurome said quietly. "But that's no fun. This time, I want to try something new... Something The Boss probably won't like, but since when did that change anything. I think you'll be perfect for this job... General Rokugoh."

Saying this, a tall muscular man in a suit and with disheveled red hair burst out of the ground, a whip in hand. "Yes mistress!" He said as he began to run after the monster.

"Coro..." Said Seryu. "I don't think you can do much against this evil monster without your secret technique, and I'd rather not use it unless I really need to, so you should sit this one out. Sorry."

Coro nodded. It looked disappointed, but it stood back behind its user.

Seryu turned back to the titan. "Activate number two: Ikazuchi's Rocket Volley!!" This time, Seryu's arm didn't change; Instead four missile turrets sprouted out of her back and behind her shoulders, showering the beast with heat-seeking missiles.

"MAGMA DRIVE!!" Borris shouted as he began firing concentrated fireballs from Rubicante's tip. The monster was pushed back by the combined attack and almost fell over, but it stopped itself in place and punched Borris away with its gigantic fist. In the split second Wave was distracted, the monster stomped on him like a cockroach. It then attempted to do the same to Seryu, but she dodged the hit.

"Big rockets don't seem like they phase this giant evil monster..." Seryu muttered. "If I can't overwhelm you with explosive power, I'll penetrate your defenses with percision! Number Eight: Senzui's Gatling of Justice!!" Saying that, Seryu's arm turned into a pointed shape resembling a rocket with a circular row of holes around the tip, each one containing a barrel. The cannon then started to rotate while all of the barrels were firing simultaneously, firing armor-piercing bullets that dug holes into the monster's flesh before exploding inside its body.

Roaring in pain, the monster jabbed its needle-tendrils into Borris' flesh and began to heal itself by siphoning his blood. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!!" Borris shouted as he began to pull the tentacles off of his body one by one.

"Tatsumi, are you seeing this guy? He looks just like an older version of you!" Ieyasu said in awe as he was watching Rokugoh chase the colossal beast with his whip.

"Maybe he could be related to you somehow." Said Sayo, holding her chin.

While they were talking, Rokugoh ran next to the beast's leg and unleashed a high-speed barrage of whip attacks, fast enough to appear like numerous whips striking its leg at once. "EARTH SHAKER!!" Rokugoh exclaimed as he finished his attack with a massive strike to the ground beneath his leg, cracking it and creating a crater. Before the creature could raise its leg, Rokugoh wrapped his whip around it, restraining the giant.

"I'M STILL HERE, YOU DUMBASS!!" Leone roared in anger as she leaped at the other leg and slashed a series of large cuts on it with her claws before striking the ground beneath it as well and causing a pillar of stone to impale the creature's leg through its hill.

"We've got both its legs restrained..." Said Sheele, who was approaching the titan herself. "As someone who wasn't present in the fight against the previous one, now seems like as good a time as any to showcase the evolved form I achieved with my secret technique! EXTASE!!!"

With her scissors closed and pointed forward, Sheele once again unleashed a blinding light, which then formed itself into a concentrated, blade-like lazer beam extending into the ground underneath the dangerous modified monster. With one swing upwards, the monster's body was cut in two, and the blade of light vanished.

"GET YOUR TENTACLES OFF OF MY FRIEND!!" Wave shouted as he struck the second giant's arm with Grand Chariot's spear, causing a small scratch that wasn't even deep enough to bleed. The monster grabbed Wave with its other hand and threw him at Borris, causing both Jägers to crush into the Capital's wall.

"Nothing works on this thing!" Wave started to get up. "Seryu! Activate your Teigu's secret technique now, there's no way the three of us can win without it!"

"There IS a way." Said Seryu. "I know **exactly** what this thing's made of... It's just a pale imitation of my master Stylish's ultimate evolution. And my new mistress has given me the power of all his creations and increased it tens fold! NOW, BEHOLD THE POWER OF THIS TWISTED THING IN ITS GREATEST, PUREST FORM!!!"

Once Seryu said it, her own body expanded like Stylish before her and turned into an even larger mech of metal and muscle with its own unique, feminine, elegant design - complete with a long "hair" made of countless thin tendrils. For the first time since its appearance, the colossal monster looked genuinely afraid; Wave and Borris were shocked.

"An evil coward like you knows only to destroy people that are like gnats to it! Let's see how you fare against someone as large as you!!" Seryu exclaimed as her own mech form struck the titan with her two hands, breaking both its arms and making its giant mouth bleed.

"Activate number six!" Seryu exclaimed. "AMATERASU'S HEAVENLY CHARIOT!!!" As she said that, a gigantic missile the size of a tower loaded out of her giant mouth. With two small fingers, Seryu's gigantic shell ripped the monster out of its own shell's forehead and swallowed it into the maw on its stomach, before launching the missile at the empty shell and obliterating it in a massive explosion.

And then, in an instant, Seryu's giant form shrunk back inside her normal human body, now just a tiny bit taller and curvier, her hair loose and her clothes a little torn, but she was unharmed.

"Justice... Is served."


	26. Kill the Cult

A fat man wearing a turban hat was sitting on a throne in a palace in the Capital, drinking alcohol, and watching the common folk outside suffer and starve. "What great expressions they all have..." He whispered. "Those damn pigs are only good for one thing... Their tax money! The alcohol I can buy with it sure is delicious... Maybe I should pocket a little more next month."

"Master, did you ask for a massage?" Said a maid entering the room behind him.

"Of course! I've been waiting for that." The fat man laughed.

The maid softly approached her master... And then stabbed him in the neck with a poisoned needle. "The job is done..." Said Chelsea, turning back into her true form. "Just what kind of massage did this guy want..."

Suddenly, Chelsea turned around as she heard noises coming from a lower floor of the palace. Seconds later, Akame and Wave burst into the room. "We're the Jägers!" Wave exclaimed. "We got intel that Night Raid is going to attack your house!"

"Wave?" Said Akame, pointing at the fat man's dead body.

"We're too late..." Wave lamented.

"I'm suspecting it might have been a trap..." Said Chelsea back in the base hours later. "It was close."

"How did you escape the Jägers?" Asked Sayo.

"Luckily for me, that man had a few pet cats." Said Chelsea. "I pulled through by turning into one."

"I wouldn't have been able to get away that easily..." Mein admitted. "Seems like your Teigu's more useful than I thought."

"Of course it would've been difficult for someone whose face is known." Said Chelsea. "You can leave all of that up to me."

"Chelsea..." Mein blushed a little.

"Be sure to watch over the hideout while I'm gone... Substitute." Said Chelsea.

"YOU'RE STILL INSULTING YOUR COMRADES!?" Mein shouted in anger and started chasing her.

"She literally told me the exact same thing..." Tatsumi whispered.

"And with the monsters gone, it looks like the Jägers can focus entirely on us." Said Sayo. "I have a bad feeling about this."

At a forest near the Capital, Seryu and Coro were standing over three paralyzed bandits. "We're not with Night Raid!" One of the bandits begged. "We just steal so we can get food! We didn't even kill anybody!"

"So you admit you're thieves?" Seryu asked. "Then I know you **did** commit evil. I have no pity for you. Koro! Feast on them!"

Saying that, Seryu's dog grew to monstrous size and bit off two of the bandits' heads in one swift movement.

"WAIT!!" The last bandit cried out. "These two threatened me and forced me to help them! I can prove it to you! Please let me at least stand a trial!"

"A sin is a sin, even if you were forced to commit it." Seryu retorted. "You're not worth troubling the captain or anyone else. I'll pass judgement upon you myself!" Her hand turned into a long sword. "Number Three: Sung Dynasty Blade!"

"Hey, Seryu!" Said Wave as he ran up to his comrade minutes later. "What happened to those three bandits you've captured?"

"They've been dealt with." Seryu said quietly. "Come on, let's move out."

"Wait..." Said Wave. "You just killed those bandits, didn't you? We may have special privileges as the Jägers, but we don't have the right to -"

Seryu grabbed his hand. "Whether it's Night Raid or common thieves, destroying evil is never a fool's errand. Nobody cares about these low-lives, so we shouldn't spend anyone else's time with them." She said that and then left.

 _I always felt like there was something wrong with her._ Wave thought to himself. _The Empire's current state seems pretty bad on its own, but she doesn't seem to mind it at the slightest... Nevermind that. Just like her, I have the soldier's duty, and I'll continue to carry it out._

"Today's subject is a religion that is spreading amongst the populous called the Path of Peace." Said The Boss.

"The religion that says good deeds contribute to happiness and longevity?" Asked Chelsea.

"That's every religion..." Sheele whispered.

"They visited my village before." Said Tatsumi. "The statue that the village elder gave me was of one of that religion's Gods."

"The number of their adherents has been rising in the past ten years." The Boss continued. "They have quite the influence on the Empire's Eastern regions. They're currently planning to start an armed uprising - a religious-led insurrection. We will use it to our own purposes."

"Wait a second!" Said Tatsumi. "How many people are going to die in that insurrection!? Shouldn't we do anything to stop that?"

"The corrupt politicians of the Empire have been tormenting the citizens for far too long." Said The Boss. "If **that** uprising is stopped, there would just be another one somewhere else. This country is already in its dying breaths."

"So that means we can't avoid casualties?" Tatsumi whispered.

"Maybe you should listen to the rest." Said Chelsea.

"You remember what I told you before about the tribes from the South-West?" Said Lubbock.

"The ones that got crushed by Esdeath?" Said Tatsumi.

"Their mistake was trying to oppose the Empire on their own." Said Lubbock. "The Empire is still incredibly powerful. If the Path of Peace will do the same, they'll also be defeated, and countless more will die."

"That's where the Revolutionary Army steps in." Said Najenda. "Once the Path of Peace begins their armed uprising, our allied tribes in the West will attack at the same time. The Empire will now have enemies on both the inside and the outside, but they can probably withstand even this. However, the final clincher will be the Revolutionary Army itself attacking from the South. They'll destroy the Capital and overthrow the Empire."

"So it's a three-pronged strike..." Said Tatsumi.

"The Empire is underestimating the Revolutionary Army." Said The Boss. "Since they're gathering the pus of the Revolutionary soldiers in one place, you can even say we're grateful to them. The frontier of the Empire will be the starting point. Getting from there to the Capital will require trampling several forts and castles - several of their princes are cooperators who are going to betray the Empire's forces. This way, the revolution will go about repeated bloodless capitulations and advance towards the Capital at a frightening speed. But even then, the Empire's trump card - Budo and his Imperial Guard - will be most likely to move to intercept. This, in turn, will lead the palace's security to sharply drop."

"Which will allow us to step in and kill the Prime Minister." Kurome concluded. "The Empire will collapse from the inside out."

"He's the kind of person who would try to run away when the walls around him fall apart..." Said Leone. "But we won't let that happen. He's the main culprit, and he'll have to die without fail."

"In return for the Western tribes' help, we agreed to return their territories back to them." Said Najenda.

"Return?" Asked Tatsumi.

"A lot of the Empire's Western region used to belong to the tribes, rather than the West Country proper." Said Mein. "Their biggest interest is recovering it."

 _That's right, Mein was originally from the Western tribes..._ Tatsumi thought.

"When the Empire collapses and its tyranny ends, the citizens' anger will abate as well." Said The Boss. "If we continue to move swiftly towards the Capital's sinking, there probably won't be too much bloodshed. Are you satisfied, Tatsumi?"

"...Yes." Said Tatsumi quietly. "Sorry for interrupting you halfway through."

"The plans are complete." Said Susanoo. "All that's left is executing them. I'm guessing you came to discuss why we can't start it yet."

"That's exactly right, Susanoo!" Said The Boss. "As expected from my trusted Teigu!" She lowered her voice. "The Path of Peace is the key for everything else. But at the moment, there seems to be commotion going on within it..."

_Far East of the Capital, in the Path of Peace's headquarters in the city of Kyorochi, a great crowd gathered before a huge statue; to its feet was a tall man in robes and a mask made of a deer's skull. The crowd was cheering for their leader, but he held out a hand to quiet them._

_"Right now, there is a great misery filling this world." He opened. "I'm sure many of you are suffering from poverty and famine right now, but it is exactly because of times like these that you cannot allow your souls to be disturbed. Continue doing good deeds, and they'll be returned to you."_

_"But our Lord!" One of the men in the crowd protested. "We've done good deeds with all our might, and we've received nothing in return! If we keep going on like these, we're all just going to die!"_

_"When you lose your life, it is merely the end of your flesh and nothing more. Your soul will live on. I'm sure you'll receive happiness in God's lands. Just yesterday, a man who protected his younger brother from a dangerous beast began his journey into the land of God. His name was Joahim, and I'll always remember him for as long as I live. I'm sure he can stand tall in God's land and say: I saved my younger brother's life."_

_Two people in the crowd - a man and a woman - burst into tears hearing his story. "The Lord remembers my husband..." The woman wept. "It's wasted on me..."_

_"Rakul was my 64,568th kindred soul..." The Lord continued. "His tanned stature was indomitable. He was a fisherman with a strong ethos, wasn't he?"_

_"Yes..." An older woman said. "Yes, he was, my Lord."_

_"Then his name and memory are still with us!" The Lord declared. "Which means they lived on not only in the land of God, but in this transient world as well! **Death is not the end!** "_

_The crowd returned to cheer for their Lord on the top of their lungs._

"The Lord may have unparalleled charisma..." The Boss continued back at the base. "But his trusted right-hand-man, Bolic, is loyal to the Prime Minister. His goal is to seize the Path of Peace and bring a stop to the armed uprising. He plans to eventually have The Lord assassinated and become the leader himself."

"Shouldn't we tell them about this?" Asked Sheele.

"Many of the Path of Peace's followers are siding with Bolic. They have a great deal of influence - and they also support the Empire." The Boss explained.

"This is the most repulsive thing about the Minister..." Chelsea concluded. "He doesn't even try to suppress the outer parts, he just wants to seize their inner workings for himself."

"And **this** is our next mission." Said Najenda, marking a spot on her map. "We're going to head into the Path of Peace's base of operation and eliminate Bolic. We have information that he gives some of his adherents drugs under the guise of a cleansing ritual, gets them addicted, and then rapes them. We needn't hold back."

"The son of a bitch is treating women like playtoys." Lubbock grunted.

"And tricking his followers into taking drugs is just sick." Susanoo added. "I SHALL NEVER FORGIVE HIM!!"

"Aren't you kind of missing what you should be angry about?" The Boss said quietly.

"The more time that passes, the more people he's going to feed with drugs." Said Leone. "We better put a stop to him as soon as we can."

"And as for the Jägers..." Said Najenda. "Right now, they're trying to hunt us down with all their strength. At this rate, if we keep ending up behind them, we're going to eventually get caught."

"I could just barely get away even with my Teigu..." Said Chelsea.

"So this time, I propose we lure them out of the Capital... And wage an all-out war on them." Said The Boss.

"Looks like I, the great Ieyasu, am finally going to have the chance I need to prove my worth!" Said Ieyasu.

"Out of the Jägers, Borris and Akame in particular are classified targets under the Revolutionary Army's orders." Said Najenda. "As long as the Jägers have Esdeath leading them, they're going to be our greatest obstacle."

A few days later, Ran walked up to Esdeath who was sitting alone in her room. "Captain..." He said. "Two people who match the description of Night Raid's Mein and Kurome have been sighted near the Eastern Romari main road."

Esdeath immediately donned her hat and got up. "Gather all of the Jägers. We're going after them."


	27. Kill the Jägers

The Capital's gates were opened, and six horses dashed ahead at blinding speed. On each of the horses, one of the Jägers was riding.

"It's Esdeath and her squadron, the Jägers!" Said a Revolutionary Army scout hiding in the distance. "All six of them are heading East on horse back! Mistress Najenda's plan is right on the mark!"

Another soldier who was with him jotted his words down on a page and gave it to a falcon sitting on his shoulder. "Give this information to Night Raid!" He commanded.

"Six people." Said Najenda, reading the note on the top of a ledge many miles away. "So all of the remaining Jägers are moving out. Considering Esdeath's speed, they should reach here around tomorrow noon even if they know where we are."

Climbing down the ledge, Najenda confronted Mein and Kurome, who were waiting below it in swimsuits. "I received information from the Revolutionary Army's spies. You two, go out and attract their attention as we planned."

"Got it!" Said Mein.

Further away from the bottom of the cliff, Lubbock was sitting next to a lake and watching Sheele, Leone and Chelsea playing in the water. "It sure is nice to be able to see the girls in bikinis here."

"Stop drooling over them. This is also part of the plan." Said Tatsumi, standing next to him.

"What's up with you, are you gay!?" Lubbock yelled at him.

"NO I'M NOT!!" Tatsumi yelled back.

"For people whose faces aren't known, these guys sure are noisy..." Mein said while watching them from the top of the ledge.

Then, she turned around. "You haven't touched your super-candy, Kurome. Is something wrong?"

No answer.

"You're thinking about your sister, aren't you?"

"...Yeah. But that doesn't mean anything is wrong. In fact... _I'm excited_. These new candies were made using Stylish's Teigu... With them, there's no way I'd lose."

The next day, the Jägers gathered on Romari Road with their breakfast. "Najenda is continuing East, but Kurome moved South..." Said Esdeath, reading a report. "Their party was witnessed splitting into two groups after coming here."

"The way East from here leads to Kyorochi, where the Path of Peace's headquarters are located." Said Borris. "The way South has cities that support the rebels. Either way it's suspicious."

"We can catch up with them if we hurry. Let's go!" Said Wave.

"Hold your horses." Said Esdeath. "The members of Night Raid are criminals from the Capital. They were seen and tracked even though their wanted posters weren't circulated into the local regions, and on top of that, they were seen splitting in two. Isn't that convenient?"

"Yeah." Said Ran. "There's a high probability that this is a trap."

"What's their reason for standing out on purpose?" Asked Borris.

"To lure us out of the Capital so they can defeat us?" Seryu suggested.

"This is just like Najenda." Said Esdeath. "Her heart is burning, but she always fights calmly."

"So that means chasing them would be dangerous." Said Wave.

"No. We won't waste this opportunity." Said Esdeath. "Night Raid, who so far always evaded our grasp, have now decided to reveal themselves. We'll step right into the trap and squash them out! Seryu, Ran, and I will follow Najenda. Akame, Wave and Borris, you chase Kurome."

Akame's grip on her sword tightened hearing that.

"Be aware of your surroundings at all times." Esdeath continued. "And don't retreat even if they ambush you with overwhelming numbers. They're the last rats opposing the Capital. Chase them out and finish them without fail!"

"Got it!" Said Wave.

Saying that, the group of six horses split in two. Wave, Borris and Akame were leading theirs across a desert canyon.

"So our opponents are Night Raid, the strongest in the Revolutionary Army." Said Borris. "I doubt we can win on our own..."

"It will be alright." Said Wave. "We'll definitely win as long as we work together!"

"I heard a lot of people saying that before a battle..." Akame said coldly. "More times than not, those people were the first to die."

"ARE YOU SAYING WE CAN'T TRUST MY ABILITY!?" Wave yelled.

"I say nothing of the sort." Akame responded. "But we have no idea what Night Raid is capable of. We can't afford to hold back."

"Hey, there's something in front of us!" Said Borris, looking forward. He and the others were able to see a giant, muscular straw doll blocking the path.

"Is that... A giant scarecrow?" Asked Wave.

"That's right!" Said Borris. "Can't get much more suspicious than that. If that's the trap, I'm not impressed." He dismounted. "Let's inspect it from up close."

"Targets acquired!" Said Mein, aiming her rifle at the group from a cliff above them. "Looks like Esdeath split her own group and went after The Boss herself. Just as planned!"

She zoomed in on Akame, who looked deeply troubled. "You can see this is Kurome's elder sister... But I don't want Kurome to have to do this. I'll kill her myself!"

Mein pulled the trigger and fired a bullet of concentrated energy at Akame, only for her to swiftly dodge and then start to search for the sniper with her eyes. "What was this insane reaction time just now!?"

While Akame was distracted, the giant scarecrow burst open, and Susanoo jumped out of it rushing at her.

"AKAME! WATCH OUT!!" Wave shouted as he blocked Susanoo's mace strike with his cutlass and was thrown back a significant distance.

"WAVE!!" Borris cried out.

"We failed the sniping, but we did manage to knock out one of them." Said The Boss, appearing behind Susanoo with Spectator prominent on her eye. "And this is the only one who wasn't a target." She said as Kurome, Leone and Tatsumi appeared behind her.

"Does that mean only Sheele went East?" Borris pondered. "Or are there more people with her that we don't know about?"

"Borris and Akame!" Najenda exclaimed. "Out of the Jägers, you two are our highest priority targets. Brace yourselves!"

"Highest priority targets?" Borris said to himself. "I've burned countless people alive. Of course these assassins would target me. But I won't die!" He said, taking out Rubicante.

"Big sister..." Kurome giggled.

"Kurome..." Akame said with a hand to her blade.

"I've been waiting for this moment for so long." Said Kurome. "Now finally, I can add you to my collection." She raised her sword in the air and black lightning struck the ground, and the skeleton of a gigantic reptilian beast burst out of of the desert floor.

"My skills have vastly improved..." Kurome continued. "I can turn any dead body into a puppet, even a Mortaghoul who rotted until it was just a skeleton!"

"How are the two of us alone supposed to handle a Teigu this powerful!?" Borris said in terror.

"Now then, let the Teigu battle begin!" Kurome exclaimed. "I wonder how you three can fare against my strongest puppet!?"


	28. Kill the Cursed

Without waiting, Akame rushed ahead and struck against her little sister. Unfazed, Kurome effortlessly parried and responded with a sword strike of her own, which Akame just barely dodged. Akame continued to retaliate, but Kurome dodged every hit. She didn't even bring out any of her puppets.

"I used to be stronger than you even when you had no puppets out... And now you outclass me even while controlling this massive beast." Akame whispered. "Kurome... How did you get so strong?"

"You can thank your friend, Stylish, for that." Kurome chuckled. "He tried to take us all down on his own, and now his Teigu is ours. The Revolutionary Army's scientists could use it to produce a drug that was hundreds of times more potent than the Empire's original one, which has all of its advantages and none of its downsides. Feel honored - this is the first time I used it."

At the same time, Borris aimed his Teigu at the gigantic Mortaghoul. "MAGMA DRIVE!" He shouted, firing concentrated balls of fire and lava that hit the beast's body and exploded... Barely scratching its bones.

"We have an advantage in numbers over you even without my puppets..." Kurome said. "It wouldn't be fun to just crush all of you at once, so I limited myself to only one puppet. Trust me, this is more than enough."

As she said that, the skeletal monster charged up energy in its mouth and fired it in a gigantic beam that razed the ground. Borris and Akame both dodged it. "They're toying with us!" Borris grunted. "The entire squadron except Sheele is here, but so far none of them tried to attack except Kurome and her single puppet!"

"So the battle's starting..." Lubbock grunted as he was hanging from a tree and watching. "Of course that harlot Leone gets to show off outside while I'm stuck hiding."

_Before Night Raid left, Najenda called Chelsea and Lubbock to inform them of their special key roles in the battle. "Chelsea..." She started. "During the upcoming battle, I expect you to stay hiding until the opportunity arises to strike the enemy from shadows or assist your comrades. As a master of assassination who has no experience in direct combat, I'm leaving this up to you."_

_"I'll work efficiently. Just watch." Chelsea replied._

_"Lubbock, we need you on the lookout. Put up a barrier and keep an eye on the sky." She lied a hand on his shoulder. "If Esdeath's group were to come after us, keep them away using Cross Tail's secret ability. This mission is most vital - I placed in failsafes to prevent Esdeath and her group from arriving, but there's no telling what could happen in the actual battle. With your flexible way of thinking and the nature of your Teigu, I leave this up to you."_

_"Understood!" Said Lubbock. "I'll meet your expectations no matter what!"  
_

"I'll fulfill my role without fail, Najenda." Lubbock said again. "Maybe it would be better to confess my feelings once we're done with this - if I keep being careless, she might end up with Su. Whatever, now's not the time to think about this!"

"I sure am lucky to train under Akame and captain Esdeath... If it wasn't for this training, I might've been knocked out cold, or even killed." Said Wave a short distance away in the forest as he began to get up... Only for Sheele to kick him in the face. "So you _are_ here!?" Wave simply got up again and drew his sword.

"I wouldn't last a second against Esdeath and her team." Sheele replied. "But you're a different story."

"You're not going to stop me from saving my two comrades!" Wave shouted in anger. "GRAND CHARIOT!!!"

Once Akame backed away from Kurome, even her sister ceased attacking; both her and Borris could focus entirely on the Mortaghoul. It took almost no damage from their attacks and its own strength was immense, but it was rather slow, and the two Jägers could just barely evade its strikes. "Nothing works on this monster!" Borris exclaimed. "It's like it's waiting for us to tire out so it can squash us like bugs!"

Seconds after he said that, Sheele was thrown at the beast at high speed, hitting its chest and falling off. "That was a good hit..." She smirked, wiping blood from her mouth.

"I won't stand idly by while my friends are being attacked!" Wave shouted, rushing at the Mortaghoul with his full Grand Chariot and actually pushing it back.

"You still haven't seen everything I can do!" Said Sheele. "Dual Wield Mode!" she removed the teddy bear-shaped pivot screw from Extase's base before separating the two blades and removing the handles, revealing broadsword grips underneath them. Wielding Extase as two broadswords, she rushed at Wave, who could barely react before gaining a X-shaped cut on his armor and skin. "This is one dangerous opponent..." He whispered. "Had I not moved in time I would be in pieces!"

"Don't be so careless, Kurome." Sheele looked back at her comrade. "You ignored the one fighter who could counter your Mortaghoul."

"You think that little cut is gonna stop me? THINK AGAIN!!" Wave shouted as he summoned his spear and began to rush at the reptilian beast.

Kurome was watching, unimpressed, when Borris turned to look at her. "If this really is the end, I want to know one thing before I die." He said. "Kurome, if you stayed with the Empire you could've surely defeated your entire squad with your puppets. Why then did you choose to side with the Revolutionary Army?"

Hearing the question, Kurome let out a maddened laugh. "Isn't that obvious?" She answered. "I'm here because I want vengeance against bags of worthless trash like the ones who ruined my sister's life and my own in order to turn us both into killing machines! The Revolutionary Army's fantasy of justice and peace doesn't concern me at the slightest!"

"Then you've become more dangerous than you could've ever been under the Empire." Said Borris. "People like you are the reason why I'm here. Burning them to ash is my job!" He said, firing a jet of flame at Kurome. Without hesitation, the Mortaghoul blocked the flame with its leg. It then prepared to blast Borris with energy, but Wave jumped forward and kicked the side of its face, making the shot miss.

At the other side of the road, Esdeath maneuvered her horse next to Seryu's. "Don't use up too much strength until we've come across the enemy." She reminded her subordinate.

"Understood!" Said Seryu. "Is... Anything wrong? You look like you've been paying special attention to me recently. You even made sure we both ended up on the same team - Is there something inadequate about me...?"

"Wave told me that your heart was dangerous." Esdeath replied plainly. "So I'm trying to keep you close to my side whenever possible."

Seryu gasped and backed off. She said nothing.

"But that's no problem..." Esdeath calmed her down. "That just means I'll always have your back. Don't forget that, Seryu."

"Thank you very much, captain!" Seryu replied, blushing.

"Should I try searching from above using my Teigu?" Ran interfered.

"Your stamina in the air is much more limited than a real dragon like my mount." Esdeath brushed it off. "Save it for when you need it to fight the enemy!"

"I feel like we should've caught up to them already." Ran pondered.

"This is a bit odd..." Esdeath agreed.

Suddenly, their three horses dropped dead as they were hit with arrows. All three Jägers landed safely, only to notice a large group of Revolutionary Army soldiers suddenly surrounding them.

"WHERE DID ALL OF THESE ENEMIES COME FROM!?!?" Seryu asked.

"There's only three coming down this road, just like they told us." One of the enemy soldiers said. "And general Esdeath is with them."

"AHAHAHA!! She's just as beautiful as the rumors said!" Another soldier laughed.

"Don't jump in one by one..." Warned the first. "We should take advantage of our greater numbers to eliminate them."

"And after that, we can have fun stripping you down and doing a lot of good things with your body!"

"There are many bands of thieves who make their territory at the East of the Empire..." Esdeath said, ignoring them. "Still, this doesn't seem to be a coincidence that we meet them here."

"SO NIGHT RAID TEAMED UP WITH THESE FELLOW EVILDOERS!!!" Seryu exclaimed.

"Ran, is something wrong?" Esdeath asked.

"Not at all." Said Ran. "Looks like they aren't here. We'll trample them under our foot."

"Leave two or three of them alive for questioning!" Esdeath said.

Back under the cliff, the other half of the Jägers were surrounded fighting Sheele and the Mortaghoul. Wave, Akame and Borris were starting to gain injuries, but Sheele was unscratched.

"NOT YET!" Borris grunted. "This fight isn't over yet! Our weapons might be useless against this monster... But I have one last secret technique that might just save our skins! WAVE! AKAME! RUN AS FAR AWAY AS YOU CAN!!"

Borris' two comrades heeded his warning and began to back off, and so did Kurome and her Mortaghoul. Sheele remained in place and began to reassemble her Teigu while Borris simply hurled Rubicante up into the air and clicked a hidden button, causing his Teigu's fuel tank to detonate in a massive explosion. The rest of Night Raid watched in terror as the flames engulfed the valley and Sheele in it, the immense light and noise of the explosion blinding and deafening them.

When it receded, the three Jägers were gone and so was Sheele. Kurome was still present, and her Mortaghoul was stained in ash but still mostly unharmed as it dug back into the ground. "I should've expected something like this to happen..." Kurome grunted. "Hopefully that idiot Borris died in his own suicide explosion."

"W...Where's Sheele?" Tatsumi asked.

"She might've been a dumbass, but I doubt she'd just let herself die." Said Mein.

Borris was walking out of the other side of the crater, injured but alive. "I hope Wave and Akame are okay..." He whispered. "They're probably still around here somewhere."

Continuing to search for them in the forest, Borris noticed the sound of crying, and saw a little girl sitting beside a tree and weeping. Out of instinct, he ran up to her. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"AAAAAHHHHHH! A GHOST!!" The girl screamed in terror.

"Calm down, calm down! I'm not a ghost!" Borris assured her, before looking down at her leg and seeing a small wound on it. "Oh, you're hurt?" He said. "Calm down, the pain will be over soon." As he spoke, Borris took out a bandage and wrapped up the girl's wound.

"Thanks, mister!" The girl said in surprise.

"Don't worry about it..." Said Borris as he began to walk away.

"I'm going to get better..." The girl whispered. "But the places you've burned to ash won't." As she said that, the little girl stabbed Borris' neck with a poison needle before turning back into Chelsea in a puff of smoke.

"What!?" Borris gapsed.

"What you saw just now was a child from a village you've burned down because they were suspected of supporting the Revolutionary Army. Since you burned the whole village at once, I'm sure you didn't remember every single individual." Chelsea said, letting go of Borris and leaving him on the floor.

 _I always knew that one day, I'll receive punishment for all I've done..._ Borris thought. _But even still...! I have to return home...!_ He started to desperately crawl away. _My wife and daughter... Are waiting for me..._

"Really..." Chelsea said as she watched the poison slowly kill him. "Fights between those working in the shadows are always repulsive." Taking out Gaea's Toolkit, she covered herself in smoke once again, and turned into a duplicate of the man she just killed. "Akame... You're next."

**Jägers: 5 left**


	29. Kill the Venom

"You finished your target off without letting him run away... As expected of you, Chelsea." Said Lubbock, meeting with his partner in the depths of the forest.

"I'm glad you made it this quickly, Lubbock." Said Chelsea.

"I admit I panicked for a second when I saw a second Borris approaching..." Said Lubbock.

"I should go after Akame now." Chelsea continued. "We should kill her before she meets up with Esdeath and the rest."

Lubbock was quiet for a moment. "Akame already left the bounds of the barrier I created, but I know which direction she went. You can go after her if you want, but it's seriously dangerous! It's not like you to be this reckless!"

"It is because Akame is dangerous that I'm going after her." Said Chelsea. "Now that she's on her own and wounded, I have exactly the window I need to kill her. I can't pass up this opportunity, or it will cost the Revolutionary Army with many more lives. Go back and tell everyone where I went... And call for reinforcements if you need to."

"Got it..." Said Lubbock. "Just keep your guard up."

"I will." Chelsea assured. "If she's already back with Wave or Esdeath, I'll retreat."

Not saying a word, Lubbock nodded and left. Chelsea stretched her arms and started to head off. "Now then, the second high-priority target is next... Let's go at it with everything I've got."

While Lubbock was on the way, the rest of Night Raid already made it to their base. To their surprise, Sheele was waiting for them at the entrance.

"Sheele, you're here? How!?" Tatsumi asked.

"Like this." Said Sheele, opening her scissors and slashing at the air. As she did, a strange hole appeared in the air around her, and she jumped into it, appearing behind Tatsumi as it closed.

"Whoa, this is amazing!!" Said Tatsumi. "But... How did you do this?"

"Extase's second secret technique." Said Sheele. "My Teigu's ability is to cut through anything, even the fabric of space and time itself. I used it to escape the explosion by cutting a hole into here."

"Hold on a second, since when can you do that?" Leone asked. "There's nothing about this in The Boss' book!"

"Interesting that you mention the book." Said Najenda. "It also says that certain Teigu users have been able to develop new techniques with their Teigu that were unknown even to their original creators. Out of everyone here, you're the one I least expected to come up with one, Sheele."

"I know..." Sheele responded, blushing. "After I failed to even notice Stylish's team invading our old base, I knew I HAD to get stronger somehow. And since I found out about Dual Wield Mode and my first secret technique's evolved form, I realized how little I know about my own weapon's potential. But I mean, I'm the newest member of Night Raid to receive my own Teigu..."

"No you aren't." Said Tatsumi.

"Oh. Right." Said Sheele. "I'm sure you still have a lot more to find out about your own Teigu, Tatsumi."

"I just realized that one of the Jägers had a Teigu that was exactly the same as my own..." Tatsumi pondered.

"It wasn't." Kurome commented. "If it were, I would need to start worrying about my Mortaghoul getting weaker from its injuries. I think that was a Shingu."

"A _what_?" Mein asked.

"A failed attempt to replicate the Teigu, created circa 400 years ago." Said Najenda. "Many of them - including, presumably, Wave's - were directly based on known Teigu."

"Natala and Doya both have Shingu." Kurome continued. "Natala kept the one he had when he was alive, but The Boss gave Doya a Shingu that belonged to someone I worked together with back when I served the Empire."

 _So that's the thing Kurome said she was attached to that Doya has..._ Tatsumi thought.

"Wait a minute..." Said Leone. "I know you said you'll only use one puppet against the Jägers, but didn't Ieyasu want to fight them too?"

"He's a puppet." Said Kurome. "He can't want anything that I don't let him."

At the same time, Akame was walking around the forest quickly. "Wave?" She called out. "Wave, where are you?"

"Akame?" She heard Borris. "Oh, there you are! I was so worried!"

"Borris?" Akame asked. "I thought you died..."

"Everyone in the Incineration Squad has to go through fire resistance training! I took it no problem!" Borris assured her.

"I'm glad you're okay..." Akame said in relief. "We should find Wave. He should be around here somewhere..."

"I'm sorry, though..." Borris continued. "My Teigu got destroyed when I used my secret ability. I don't know if it's safe to go back to mistress Esdeath with no Teigu..."

Akame said nothing.

"I see." Said The Boss, pulling out a fourth cigarette from her packet. "So she took out Borris?"

"And she went after Akame on her own?" Asked Mein. "That bitch's fast enough to dodge my sniper shot. I don't know if Chelsea's going to be able to get to her. We should bring in reinforcements!"

"Kurome, Tatsumi, you heard us." Said The Boss. "I want the two of you to go after Chelsea!"

"Got it!" Said Tatsumi. "We'll head there immediately!"

At this point, Akame and "Borris" figured out Wave probably already regrouped with Esdeath and left the forest. "We'll arrive in town soon..." Said Borris.

"Be prepared for an ambush." Said Akame. "The captain's probably going to arrive soon. Until then, we should -" before Akame could finish the sentence, she stopped on her tracks and puked blood. "D-damn it..." She whispered. "I think that Mortaghoul hurt my vital organs..."

"I think I have something that can help..." Said Borris as he kneeled down over Akame, preparing to lay a hand on her shoulder...

Only for Akame to turn around and cut off Borris' arm. The severed arm and Borris puffed into smoke and revealed Chelsea underneath. The shapeshifting assassin was in utter shock. "You... Saw through my disguise?"

Akame smirked as she got up. "You really think that was going to fool me?" She asked. "You may have concealed your physical appearance, but I could practically **smell** the bloodlust reeking out of your body."

With her remaining hand, Chelsea tried to reach out to a gun hidden on her hip, but then she dropped to her knees, noticing strange black runes crawling out of her wound.

Akame simply watched as the markings spread across Chelsea's body. "I never thought I'll see your face again..." She whispered. "But I'm glad I did, Chelsea. You were the last remnant of the Oarburgh clan, and now that you're gone, so is their foul legacy. Now Gin, Cornelia, Seryu's father, and everyone else your instructors killed... Can finally rest in peace once and for all."

Chelsea was powerless to do anything but stay down and listen. She watched in horror as the black markings - Murasame's deadly venom - continued to spread across her arm, from her arm to her shoulder, from her shoulder to her chest, and finally to her heart, making it stop beating in an instant...

_And an unseen blade severed her soul..._

Hours later, Kurome and Tatsumi, following a trail of blood, reached the town the Jägers were supposed to regroup at. Their sight were blurred by heavy rain. "Alright, I'm gonna turn invisible and go into town." Said Tatsumi.

"Be careful..." Said Kurome.

"Of course!" Said Tatsumi, equipping Incursio and turning invisible before he ran into the town. _The blood on the road led me all the way here..._ Tatsumi thought. _Chelsea may have been captured, meaning we have to rescue her. But Chelsea knows what she's doing... She might've already went back to where The Boss is on a path that crossed ours. Chelsea's not someone who would do anything reckless... This blood may just be an enemy's._

Following the trail, Tatsumi noticed a group of people ahead. He carefully walked up behind them, and dropped to his knees. In the center of the town's square, Chelsea's severed head was hung over a pole, showing everyone what happens to those who threaten to destroy the Empire.

For a split second, Tatsumi thought he felt warm hands embracing him from behind, and just as quickly, they were gone.

**Night Raid: 8 left**


	30. Kill the Demons

"My, my..." Said Bolic, second-in-command in the Path of Peace, sitting on his throne and surrounded by beautiful servant girls. "I was worried about being targeted and asked the Minister to provide me with some protection, and he went and send in Esdeath, the Empire's strongest! Nothing could be more reassuring!"

"I only allowed my loyal subordinates to accompany me here." Said Esdeath. "Do feel free to enjoy yourselves. Of course, as long as we're here protecting you, we'll have to borrow a few rooms to sleep at."

"MISTRESS ESDEATH!!" Seryu gasped, pointing at the ceiling. "There are three people watching us from the ceiling!"

"So you've noticed." Said Bolic, gesturing with his hand for the three figures Seryu noticed - a bald, heavily muscular man with a black beard and yellow eyes, a tall blue-haired and pale man with stitches on his body and no shirt, and a tan blonde girl with a swimsuit top - to jump down and land in front of her... Along with a fourth figure, also a woman with black hair, a shrine maiden's robe, and a jagged red scar over her left eye.

"The Empire has lent me these to assist me in controlling the church... Meet the Four Rakshasa Demons of the Imperial Fist Temple."

"And here I was wondering why I hadn't seen them in the palace." Said Esdeath.

"And now that you're here, general..." Bolic continued, "The Demons sent to protect me can begin to go on the offense."

"W-wait!" Said Seryu. "We're here to defend you against an evil team of Teigu users! How do you plan on taking them on without a Teigu?"

Suddenly, the blue-haired Rakshasa Demon blinked away and appeared behind Seryu, his legs becoming long, slim, digitigrade and flat. "You don't have to worry about that..." He said. "We've already defeated Teigu users before."

"Strong as Teigu might be, their users are naught but human..." Said the bald one, spiked bone armor appearing under his skin as electricity sparkled in his beard.

"And there are _countless_ ways to win against them!" Said the blonde girl, sprouting elastic, tentacle-like horns of ivory from her back.

"The Four Rakshasa Demons are the Prime Minister's personal shocktroop!" Said Bolic.

The blue-haired Rakshasa Demon turned his hand into a metal-looking blade. "You people can sit back and drink in the mansion while we can -"

Before he could finish the sentence, a blade of ice pierced through his forehead from behind. "No matter your achievements, you should never let your guard down, Ibara." Said Esdeath.

"As expected of you, Great General Esdeath." Said Ibara. "You're gonna make me fall for you..." As he said that, both he and the other two Demons returned to their base forms.

Akame looked over at Seryu. "Earlier, you said you only saw three people hiding in the ceiling, even though there are four here."

Seryu turned over at the fourth Rakshasa Demon. "You're the first person who was able to avoid my senses since my newest set of modifications." She said plainly.

"Nice to meet you too." Said the Demon. "My name is Suzuka, and let's just say..." The pupils disappeared from her eyes, leaving them pure white. " _I'm not like the rest of my teammates._ " Her eyes returned to normal. "And, by the way, the other two are Stan and Mez."

"Hello again!" Said Mez, the blonde female. Then, she looked back at Akame. "Wait a minute... I think I recognize you. You're the last survivor of the Elite Seven, right...?"

Akame stepped back with a hand to her sword. "And what of it?"

Mez cracked a smile. "Gozuki, the Elite Seven's master, was my father. And that means..." She pounced at Akame and hugged her, burying her face in her breasts. " _You're like my little sister!! Oh look how much you've grown, you're absolutely adorable!!!_ "

Flustered and heavily blushing, Akame broke out of Mez's hug. "I... Think I'm going to leave."

"Of course. The briefing's already over." Said Esdeath.

Nodding, Akame left the room and walked out of Bolic's palace. It was raining outside, but she didn't really care.

"So you were sent here too?"

Akame immediately turned to where the mysterious voice came from and drew her sword. "Who's there?"

A figure with a cloak and a mask landed in front of Akame. "Not important. But I will tell you this - I'm the one who provided the Imperial Head Scientist with the samples necessary to grant Seryu her former master's powers. I believe he used to call me Two-Face, and that's the closest thing to a name I'm going to give you."

"What do you want?" Akame pointed her sword at Two-Face.

"To save you and your allies the trouble of tracking down Night Raid." Said Two-Face. "I know what their plan for assassinating Bolic is, and I intend to reveal it to you and your fellow Jägers."

Akame lowered her blade just a little. "What are you asking for in return?"

"For now, nothing." Said Two-Face. "My goals are none of your business, but you being made aware of Night Raid's plans is going to be helpful to me in achieving them. If you won't believe what I'm telling you, you can just ignore it if you want. Just hearing it will cost you nothing."

_Kyorochi! This town, far to the East of the Capital, flourishes due to its abundance of natural resources. It is filled with buildings dedicated to the Path of Peace, and has become a metropolis with its own unique culture._

"And of course, none of the wanted posters circulated this far away from the Capital just yet..." Tatsumi concluded. He and Mein were walking down Kyorochi's streets at morning, very aware of some of the dangers ahead but totally oblivious to others.

"Don't let your guard down. The Jägers might be distributing them right now." Said Mein.

"Still, I kind of feel bad for Sheele..." Said Tatsumi. "She would've loved this place."

"Don't pretend like you know Sheele more than I do." Said Mein coldly. "Either way, we should get a map of the town."

"Let's try going to Eastern Edge first." Tatsumi suggested. "That way we should be able to avoid the central areas where Esdeath and the others are patrolling."

"True." Said Mein. "Let's leave the area near the cathedral to Lubbock."

Just as she said that, Lubbock ran right past the two. "It's not safe here! We gotta run!!" He panicked.

"What are you talking about??" Asked Tatsumi as he and Mein started following him.

"They got posters of all of us!" Lubbock yelled. "Even the puppets!!!"

"WHAT?! HOW??!!" Mein asked.

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW, IT'S NOT LIKE I COULD GO AROUND ASKING PEOPLE ABOUT IT!!!" Lubbock shouted. "We gotta get everyone back in camp, quick!!"

"Well we should split up then!" Said Tatsumi, quickly equipping his armor and turning invisible as the three Night Raid assassins headed back towards the small camp Night Raid set up outside Kyorochi.

Unbeknownst to the three assassins, Mez and Stan were following close behind them. "I see where they're going." Said Mez. "Get the others!"

Stan sighed. "Esdeath said we all wait for them at the palace."

"Then let Esdeath and her Jägers do that." Mez scoffed. "Esdeath isn't the leader of the Rakshasa Demons, **I am**. And I say we follow Night Raid and take them out in their own camp!"

"...So be it." Said Stan. "Let's get them then."

Stan's head detached from his neck as a new head grew out in its place and another one grew out of Mez's shoulder before both detached, Stan's head using an air sack to fly and Mez's growing a pair of batlike wings, before both began to fly towards the cathedral in Kyorochi's center.


	31. Kill the Ambush

Mein, Lubbock and Tatsumi arrived at a Revolutionary Army spy camp outside Kyorochi where the rest of their comrades awaited them. "Here so soon?" Asked Leone.

"Listen." Said Lubbock. "I don't know how, but the Jägers were able to start distributing wanted posters of every member of Night Raid, even the puppets Kurome didn't use on Romari Road!"

"But how could they know that!?" Sheele asked.

"I JUST SAID I DON'T KNOW!!" Lubbock yelled.

"Even though the puppets aren't for subterfuge, just the fact they have this information is troublesome." Said Susanoo.

"Tell me about it." Said Mein.

"But that ain't gonna stop our plan!" Said Doya. "We're Night Raid, damn it! We were already going to go in at night through heavy defenses. This counselor Bolic's going down no matter what!"

"Doya is right." Said The Boss. "Our assassination plan can still carry out as intended. The only difference is that we won't be able to explore the city beforehand. Instead, we'll wait here until nightfall."

"Got it!" Said Tatsumi.

"We're gonna have to look into how the Jägers learned about Night Raid's identities either way." Said one of the spies in the base. "Who knows what else they learned."

After saying that, Night Raid as well as the spies dispersed, returning to the borrowed rooms in the base they had their baggage at and preparing to spend the rest of the day there.

"And here I thought I was going to have some fun at the city before we get to the job..." Mein complained as she went back to her room.

Then, she noticed feint scratch marks on the windowsill. "These marks weren't here before." She said, grabbing her gun. "Something must've gotten here. I should find the others."

Mein left the room and headed towards the nearest other room. As she did, several of Lubbock's strings triggered behind her, tying up Ibara, who was sneaking up on her from the ceiling. Mein didn't waste a second and shot him in the chest with Pumpkeen, creating a large hole as Lubbock and Sheele ran up to him.

Ibara simply laughed as the hole in his chest was filled up with flesh, then with skin. "You think that's all it takes to kill me?" he said, metal blades sprouting out of his body and severing the strings as he stood up.

"Identify yourself!" Sheele demanded, pointing Extase at Ibara's face.

"Don't think for a second you're in a position to make demands!" Ibara said, extending his nails to pierce Sheele's chest. However, she was able to dodge and then cut his nails with Extase. At the same time, Lubbock formed two spears with his Cross Tail and hurled them at Ibara, who bent his body like sludge to avoid the spears.

Quickly replacing her rifle's barrel with a machine gun barrel, Main began firing a rapid barrage of energy bullets that riddled Ibara's chest with tiny holes, which were patched up as quickly as they were being created. Then, one of his arms split into several fleshy, whip-like appendages with metallic claws and began to strike towards the three assassins while the other arm hardened and expanded into a shield. Sheele activated Dual Wield Mode and began to quickly cut off Ibara's whip-arms, only for them to continually regenerate.

"I think I know who this guy is..." Said Lubbock, constantly shifting the barrier of strings around him. "He's one of the Prime Minister's private shockstroop, the Four Rakshasa Demons, who obtained superhuman abilities by eating the body of monsters!"

"There's FOUR of them!?" Screamed Sheele, who at this point transitioned from blindly attacking the tentacles to forming a defensive ring around herself and Mein with her swords.

"That's right!" Ibara laughed. "All my teammates are surrounding this base at this very moment! Night Raid will be history before the sun sets!!"

"We're surrounded by the Empire's deadliest group of hunters..." Said Mein, replacing her barrel again. "Stranded in unfamiliar territory and our identities and location have been leaked. THAT'S DANGEROUS!!"

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT IT IS!!" Ibara laughed, turning his shield into another set of tentacles and surrounding Mein with both of them... Only for Mein to fire a gigantic beam of energy from Pumpkeen and evaporating Ibara's body.

"The more danger I'm in, the stronger I'll get! That is Pumpkeen's ability." Mein concluded. "Now let's find the others!"

Lubbock and Sheele nodded and left the corridor, unaware of a figure behind them picking up one of Ibara's leftover tentacles.

At the forest outside the base, Stan burst out of the ground beneath Leone and attempted to restrain her, only for the assassin to instinctively dodge and then activate her monster transformation. "And here I thought I'll have nothing to do all day." She smirked.

Stan responded by opening a hole in his chest and beginning to spew a black cloud of poison gas out of it, making his veins run black and his skin turn paler. "Oh, please..." Leone grunted, setting her fist on fire and then hurling the fire forward, making the cloud of gas explode and blow off Stan's torso... Only for the bits of flesh to start moving independently and putting Stan's body back together.

"I've had enough of this!" Stan grunted as several splinters of bone were fired out of his body, many of them successfully hitting Leone until she dropped down bleeding. Stan walked up to her. "Any last words, assassin?"

Leone smirked. "Yes. Look behind you."

"What?" Stan said, seconds before The Boss' mechanical arm launched itself spinning and hit him in the head.

Najenda quickly walked up to the defeated Leone, Susanoo beside her. "Leone, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. Also, he's still alive."

The Boss quickly dodged as Stan ran back towards her from the forest, only for Susanoo to smack him downwards with his mace and then activate its hidden blades. "Two Teigu!?" Was all Stan could say before Susanoo beheaded him, sending his head into the forest like a baseball, and sliced his body to pieces.

Leone was starting to get up. "Two down, two to go."

Najenda looked back at the base. "Their leader is observing from the roof; no one is in her range yet, but Kurome's preparing to deal with her. The last one is not here."

In the forest, Stan's decapitated head was picked up by the same unseen figure that picked up Ibara's tentacle.


	32. Kill the Premonition

"The Four Rakshasa Demons of the Imperial Fist Temple." Said Kurome, pointing her sword to Mez's throat. "I should've guessed you were behind finding out our identities. Still, you're the Prime Minister's secret weapon. For him to send you outside the Capital to hunt us down... Must mean he's really desperate."

"We don't have to fight..." Mez said coldly. "I know how much you and your elder sister cared about each other, even as mortal enemies... But I, too, was your sister, for I'm the daughter of the man whom the Elite Seven used to call father, and you became one of the Elite Seven before they were disbanded. Even Akame agreed with me that in that short moment, I was your sister. Why then did you betray us, Kurome? Why did you turn your back on your friends, your family, and your people!?"

Instead of answering, Kurome began to laugh. "Do you want to know what I'm going to do to my big sister, when we inevitably cross swords?" She asked. "I'm going to pierce her through the heart and turn her into the most prized of my puppets. Would you like to live on as my puppet too, Mez? With the new drug I was given by Perfector's user, I'm sure I have enough strength to sustain you without discarding any of the others."

"As if you can kill me and still have a body you can reanimate!" Said Mez. "I can regenerate even if you slice me to mincemeat! Although, I do see the appeal of wanting to turn someone you used to love into a brainwashed puppet. So how about instead of killing you, I could get you addicted to the super-pheromones my body produces, and take you back where you belong - in service of the Empire alongside your beloved sister!"

"You think you can attack my mind?" Asked Kurome. "My willpower is too strong to be affected by your pheromones, and my drugs give me another layer of mental fortification on top of that. This isn't going to work."

"Then I'll just have to beat you until you're too weak to fight and soak you in my pheromones until all your resistance fades!" Said Mez, bulking up her muscles as her skin turned golden, growing sharp spikes, tusks and claws. Heat radiated from her body as she grew a second pair of arms and her hair turned into emerald serpents. "The power I showed you against the Oarburghs was nothing compared to what you're about to experience, Kurome!" Mez exclaimed as one of the snakes in her hair dug down into the floor and emerged from behind Kurome, who dodged swiftly and then cut off most of its body, making it fall off the roof. The rest retracted into Mez's body and began to regenerate.

Kurome attempted to strike Mez while she was distracted, but the spikes on the Demon's body extended like tendrils and pierced her skin. Mez morphed her arm into an arrangement of spikes and prepared to strike again, only for Natala's naginata to impale her before Natala himself kicked her from behind and swiped his naginata, cutting Mez in half. Kurome got up with no issue.

"You really thought that would kill me?" Said one of Mez's halves as it got up.

"Big mistake." Said the second half as each one regenerated into a full Mez. "Didn't I tell you I could regenerate from being cut to mincemeat?"

"I just so happen to have a remedy against regenerators like you." Said Kurome as she and Natala both took fighting stances, each one facing a different Mez.

"We could split up right now and go after both of you, but we know Natala is just a puppet." Said one of Mez's halves. "So Instead, I'm going to do this." She jumped into the air as her body shrunk and morphed into a broadsword of flesh and bone, which the other Mez quickly grabbed.

"That's more like it." Said the second Mez and rushed at Kurome, creating a shockwave as her sword clashed with Yatsufusa. Then, Doya appeared behind Kurome, shot Mez three times, and then kicked her off the roof, allowing Natala to impale her through the chest from above.

A mouth appeared on the blade of the Mez sword. "Impressive." It said. "But that's not half of what we can do." The blade then morphed into a smaller version of Mez's human form and merged into the other Mez's stab wound, fusing both of them into one. Her wounds quickly healed and she got up as she grew even larger, growing a pair of insectoid wings as eyeballs appeared all over her body. Her second pair of arms turned into large swords and she grew a third pair of arms that turned into maces, and the snakes in her hair turned into dragons. Some of those dragons proceeded to breathe jets of fire at Natala, forcing him to dodge, before Mez swiped one of her sword arms, creating a shockwave that cleaved the entire spy base in half.

And then, a giant tongue emerged from the ground and restrained Mez, followed by a giant toad that swallowed her whole.

"Say hello to my last puppet." Said Kurome, nonchalantly jumping off the falling roof and landing next to Natala. "This Kaiser Toad used to have a few holes in it, but with The Boss' Spectator, it didn't take long to notice them and patch them up. Not even you can survive this thing's digestive acids."

Doya, Najenda and Leone walked up to the destroyed spy base. Night Raid's assassins weren't too damaged, but most of the Revolutionary Army spies were killed.

"Yo, Mein! You alright?" Doya asked the one member of Night Raid who had no superhuman abilities beside her Teigu.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Said Mein, blushing. "Sheele was able to shield me and Lubbock."

"So the ones who revealed our identities were the Four Rakshasa Demons?" Asked Tatsumi, who didn't get to fight any.

"You wish!" Laughed a voice from the forest outside. Everyone turned to the direction it came from and saw the fourth Rakshasa Demon, Suzuka, with a third arm coming out of her shoulder. In her three hands she held a snake from Mez's hair, a bladed tendril from Ibara's arm, and Stan's head.

"You're the last member of the Rakshasa Demons, Suzuka!" Said Najenda, assuming a battle stance. "How did you avoid being detected by my Spectator?"

"What great manners does everyone here have!" Suzuka said sarcastically. "I'm not so foolish as to take on all of you at once. I just wanted to make sure my comrades' power doesn't go to waste. But while I'm at it, I thought I should tell you that we weren't the ones who leaked your identities."

"How were they found out then!?" Lubbock yelled.

"Isn't that obvious?" Suzuka chuckled. "One of you told us!"

"What the hell do you mean!?" Asked Tatsumi.

"I mean there's a traitor among Night Raid!" Said Suzuka. "You've already met them. The one who told Stylish where you were in exchange for the samples used to give Seryu his power - The one he called Two-Face - is present here as we speak! So before you get fired up trying to take me down, you should probably try to figure out which one of you is the traitor!"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH! YOU'RE JUST SAYING THIS TO TURN US AGAINST EACH OTHER!" Mein yelled, firing Pumpkeen's beam at Suzuka.

The last of the Rakshasa Demons simply dodged the attack. "Trust me or don't, up to you." She said. "In either case, I should leave now." Saying that, Suzuka swallowed the body parts of her three comrades into her mouth all at once. Her body flashed in heat, light and electricity; When they faded, Suzuka was gone.

"You don't _actually_ buy what she said, do you...?" Asked Mein.

"It's unlikely that this is the case." Said Susanoo. "But we shouldn't rule out the possibility. This is certainly a feasible explanation for how the Empire found out so much information about us."

"Whether we should investigate this, how should we do so, and how to take precautions if there is a traitor are all matters we should put on the backburner for now." Said The Boss. "The hour we take down counselor Bolic is fast approaching."


	33. Kill the Treachery

_Two days before the attack on the Patch of Peace, Night Raid sat down at their base together and enjoyed dinner while discussing their plans._

_"Our spies were able to dig a tunnel into the cathedral." The Boss started. "We'll use it to get to Bolic from behind."_

_"So we'll be targeting him in the cathedral and not his mansion?" Asked Tatsumi._

_"Our reports say it's riddled with traps." Said Mein. "The cathedral would be easy to infiltrate by comparison."_

_"And looking at the cathedral's layout, it seems to be filled with decorative objects." Said Lubbock. "It's a great setup for us, since we can easily hide ourselves."_

_"According to an insider's information, our target houses a mass ceremony every month." Said Kurome. "It falls on the day after tomorrow. That's when we strike."_

_"But why would he do that?" Asked Tatsumi._

_"It's just an act to gain popularity." Said Lubbock. "I bet he's playing around with women every day."_

_"But, Boss..." Said Mein. "Don't you think they'd anticipate a strike from underground?"_

_"They almost certainly at least consider it a possibility." Said Susanoo._

_"Which is why we're going to split up." Said The Boss. "One team goes underground, charges in head-first, cause commotion and attract the enemy's attention. Susanoo, Leone, Tatsumi and I will be on that team."_

_"This team needs to have a lot of endurance, so we picked people who have a high defense and recovery." Said Leone._

_"The Jägers are likely to retaliate when we first attack, but don't take them head-on. We'll lead them to a rabbit chase and stall for time while the rest of our members raid the cathedral from the sky with an Air Manta, using the chaos to kill Bolic!"_

_"An Air Manta? Like the one we rode when we were in the woods!?"_

_"The headquarters were supposed to give us one. It should arrive tonight." Said The Boss. "Sheele... Lubbock... Mein... Kurome... I'm counting on you!"_

_"Is Bolic the only target?" Asked Mein._

_"We're going in with one goal." Said The Boss. "We have limited resources, and right now, we should focus all of them on Bolic."  
_

_"The Jägers will expect us to target them, and we'll use this to our advantage." Said Susanoo._

_"Whittling out the rest of the enemies will have to come secondary." Said Sheele._

_"Esdeath's forte is attacking, not defending targets." Said The Boss._

_"We're gonna have plenty of openings." Said Leone._

_"And Bolic will die!" Kurome concluded._

One hour after midnight, two armored guards were patrolling the cathedral grounds, only to suddenly be cut in half as Incursio became visible over their bodies. With the guards out, The Boss fired her grappling arm at the top of the cathedral's wall, allowing her subordinates and herself to climb it.

Beyond the walls, a great multitude of Esdeath's elite soldiers awaited the four. Without pause, Night Raid began to massacre them, making sure not to leave a single one alive. Whenever one of the soldiers attempted to run back to warn the Jägers, Najenda spotted him with Spectator and pulverized his head with her arm.

Sheele, Mein, Lubbock and Kurome were riding an Air Manta from above. "Alright!" Said Mein. "We're charging through!"

"Be sure to punch a good hole when we get there, Mein!" Said Lubbock.

"I know that! I'm ready to go!" Said Mein.

"But wouldn't the recoil hurt you?" Asked Sheele, a bit of worry audible in her voice.

"No way. I know what I'm doing." Said Mein. "I'm a genius sniper."

Just as she said that, Ran suddenly flew over the Air Manta with his open wings. "A second team ambushing from above." He said. "I doubted their prediction was this accurate. You're trying to attack from the sky, my own territory... A textbook example of poor strategy." He said as one of his wings turned into a stream of razor-sharp feathers that pierced the Air Manta's stomach, killing it. The members of Night Raid were now at a free fall.

"So the guy called Two-Face wasn't lying." Said Wave, watching the events transpire from a balcony with his sword in hand. "I will avenge Borris, and I will avenge everyone you've killed, right here, right now!!"

Back at the cathedral grounds, Najenda, Susanoo, Leone and Tatsumi stood over the blood-soaked floor riddled with corpses. "We made this much commotion, and she's still not showing up?" Asked Najenda.

"She's still inside." Said Leone. "I can sense her repulsive, murderous aura all the way from the cathedral. She's waiting for us."\

"It's almost time for Kurome's group to make their aerial strike." Said Susanoo.

"For the assassination to be successful, we _have_ to attract Esdeath and her group's attention." Najenda concluded. "Change of plans! We're barging in!"

"Understood!" Said Tatsumi, turning invisible.

"Susanoo, is your secret technique ready?" Asked Najenda.

"Yeah. I'll activate it as soon as you give the order." Susanoo answered.

 _After the assassination is complete, we'll be at the most peril._ Najenda thought. _With her target eliminated, Esdeath will be able to focus all her attention on us. And since this is the case, the optimal time to activate Susanoo's Demon Soul Release is after Bolic is taken down. With this power, I just might keep everyone alive after this mission!_

"THE AIR MANTA'S DEAD!!" Lubbock screamed. "WE'RE GONNA CRUSH!!"

"I'm not letting this chance slip by!" Said Ran, firing a barrage of feathers at the Air Manta.

"Neither will I!" Mein shouted, blasting Ran's side with a beam from Pumpkeen and making him lose altitude. He fired a couple more feathers, but Sheele easily blocked them.

"WE'RE FALLING!!" Lubbock yelled, weaving a net with his strings and covering the Air Manta's body and his friends, protecting them from the fall.

"Hmpf." Said Kurome, firing a black bolt of lightning from her sword at the dead Air Manta. The hole in its chest healed. "Now, let's get back up there!"

"I'm not letting you!" Said Wave, approaching the group. "I'll be your opponent!"

"A Jäger?" Lubbock said in surprise.

"There are four of us here against only one of you." Said Sheele. "You stand no chance."

"I don't care!" Wave said in anger. "I'm not letting you hurt anybody else! GRAND CHARIOT!!"

Mein attempted to shoot Wave while he was materializing his Shingu armor, but it was too late. His armor blocked the shot and he leaped towards her with his spear.

Natala grabbed Wave from behind, slammed him against the floor, and attempted to impale him, but Wave dodged and punched him away. While Natala was sent flying, Lubbock restrained his arms with strings from behind, only for Wave to tear them out and jump towards him.

 _He's going to get caught in my trap!_ Thought Lubbock, looking at the thread he set in Wave's path, only for him to jump over it. "I'LL DESTROY EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!!" He leaped towards Lubbock with a kick. Lubbock attempted to block the hit with his threads, but Wave's foot destroyed the barrier and he continued flying, only for Doya to grab him away. Sheele ran up to him from behind with her scissors open, but Wave grabbed the blade with his two hands and flung her backwards.

 _Was he always this strong...?_ Mein thought. _We have to take him out quickly, otherwise our distraction team is done for!_

Najenda, Susanoo and Leone burst into Bolic's throne room in the cathedral... Only for Najenda and Leone to almost instantly drop to the floor. "What is this!?" Najenda gasped.

"The same poison Stylish used..." Leone started to get back up. "I've already been exposed to it before, so my body built up some resistance..."

"Silence, evildoers!" Seryu said, moving to the front while Akame and Esdeath stayed next to Bolic. "We've learned of your entire plan to take out the pious Counselor Bolic. It was doomed before it began!"

Leone was already on her feet by now. "I can take care of myself! Su, you gotta protect The Boss!"

 _All this time, I prepared for the day I faced Esdeath..._ Najenda lamented. _But she doesn't even need to fight us head-on. I can't let myself die here, without me the entire Revolutionary Army is doomed!_

"Tatsumi was supposed to also be around here somewhere." Esdeath began to look around. "I'm leaving these three to you, Seryu. Akame, focus on guarding Bolic - just in case Wave and Ran fail to stop the others."

 _Esdeath knows I'm here..._ Tatsumi thought. _All I have to do is strike down Bolic before she sees me._

"Finish them off, Coro!" Seryu exclaimed. Once again, Hekatonkheires grew to its full size and dashed towards Najenda and Leone. Susanoo smacked Coro away with his mace before activating the blades. Coro grew its two arms and began to trade blows with his fellow Automaton-Type Teigu. Crying out, Susanoo struck Hekatonkheires in the stomach and hurled it away.

"Number Two!!" Seryu exclaimed, releasing her missile turrets and beginning to fire missiles towards Najenda, only for Susanoo's mace blades to spin faster, creating an annular vortex of wind that blocked and redirected the missiles. Leone jumped at her from behind, her fist burning, but Seryu caught Leone's punch, broke two of her fingers and launched her backwards.

 _All the noise from this exchange is hindering Esdeath's ability to track me._ Tatsumi thought, already on the edge of the platform Bolic and Akame were standing on. _Just a little more and I can get him!_

Najenda began to get up as well. _They're still not here...? Something must've happened to Kurome's team. Are the other two Jägers holding them off?_

"I've had enough of this." Seryu grunted. "Coro, go berserker!"

Activating its secret ability, Coro paralyzed Najenda and Leone with a roar. Leone prepared to strike at it, but the Automaton grabbed her by the leg, slammed her to the ground with enough force to create a crater, and began to repeatedly pummel her with its fists. It was about to pick Leone up and swallow her whole, only for the still-invisible Tatsumi to force it to drop her with a punch.

"They were right. Tatsumi IS here!" Said Esdeath. "And here I thought you could actually take out Bolic."

"How can I stay quiet while this monster's mauling my big sister!?" Tatsumi yelled.

"You abandoned your mission to protect your ally." Esdeath scoffed. "But it was all for naught. Now you'll both be killed!"


End file.
